A few months after leaving Arsenal for Swiss side Lausanne-Sport, Trae Coyle has explained why he made the decision to do so.
Arsenal confirmed in late June that Trae Coyle had completed a permanent transfer between the two clubs. He signed a long-term deal with the Swiss Super League side, ending 12 or so years in North London.
The 20-year-old spent part of the last season on loan with League One side Gillingham, scoring four goals, but he returned in January to rejoin the Arsenal u23s.
He helped Steve Bould’s side avoid relegation with a goal and an assist in his starts in April.
After that, he made his move to Switzerland. Speaking to the Mirror this week, he says it was the right time to go.
“For me, it was definitely the time to leave,” Coyle said. “It was best for my development that I left, experience something new, and played senior football somewhere.
“Leaving some of my friends, a lot of the coaches that had helped me a lot, that was tough having been there for so long.
“But the decision to leave was what I thought was best for my career.”
Coyle had to wait a couple of months to really break in with Lausanne-Sport, but he’s now started their last five games.
The winger had a pivotal role in their win over FC St. Gallen on Sunday, putting in a cross that Musah Nuhu diverted into his own net for the only goal of the game.
Coyle won’t get an official assist for that, but he’s hoping he’ll start building his goal and assist tallies soon.
“Recently I’ve been happy with my performances, but as an attacker, you really want to get your numbers to the best they can be,” Coyle added.
“For me, my main aims for the rest of the season are just getting as many goals and assists as I can and keep helping the team as much as I can.”
Coyle never made his first-team debut for Arsenal, but he did feature in a friendly match under Mikel Arteta last summer, taking on Brentford.
He was also a big part of the Arsenal u18 side that won the u18 Premier League in 2018/19, scoring eight goals and assisting six in just 14 appearances.
He never quite managed to transfer that form to the higher age groups at Arsenal, but he certainly has a chance to get going with Lausanne-Sport now.
21 June 2021
Official: Trae Coyle joins FC Lausanne-Sport on permanent deal
Trae Coyle has left Arsenal for Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport on a permanent deal, the Gunners have confirmed.
Arsenal and FC Lausanne-Sport both confirmed on Monday morning that Trae Coyle has completed a permanent transfer between the two clubs. He’s signing a long-term deal with the Swiss Super League side, ending 12 or so years in North London.
The 20-year-old spent part of the last season on loan with League One side Gillingham, scoring four goals, but he returned in January to rejoin the Arsenal u23s. He helped Steve Bould’s side avoid relegation with a goal and an assist in his starts in April.
Coyle never made his first-team debut for Arsenal, but he did feature in a friendly match under Mikel Arteta last summer, taking on Brentford.
FC Lausanne-Sport write that Coyle arrived to meet his new teammates at the end of last week, and he’s joining on a long-term contract.
The departure represents Arsenal’s first official sale of the summer, excluding free-agent exits. Though it seems Zech Medley is close to following Coyle out of the club, after he also spent part of the season on loan with Gillingham.
Coyle was a big part of the Arsenal u18 side that won the u18 Premier League in 2018/19, scoring eight goals and assisting six in just 14 appearances. But he never quite managed to transfer that form to the u23s.
It was the right time for Coyle to move on and get his senior career going properly. There’s no word yet on the fee for the transfer, or any potential sell-on or buy-back clauses, but we’ll bring you news on that front when we have it.