With Uruguay out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, now Arsenal can finally announce the signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria. A £26m fee has long been agreed upon with the Serie A outfit and the Gunners are ready to bring in their 4th signing under Unai Emery. This is a massive boost for the North London outfit as they have been desperately searching for the right defensive talent since the departure of Francis Coquelin in January.
With Jack Wilshere also being officially released from the club’s wage books, Arsenal will have to stiffen up the midfield before placing a serious challenge for the league title next season. They finished in the 6th spot of the Premier League for the second time in a row and also got knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Atletico Madrid.
With every other elite side in the English top-flight making improvements to their current squad, Arsenal will have to keep matching talent pool if they are to overcome all them to the ultimate crown or register silverware of any sort.
Torreira has been scouted for a significant period of time and the defensive midfielder did enough last season to convince Arsenal to pay an entire £4.4m more than his general release clause to acquire him.
Emery has understandably picked out the Uruguayan to be a part of Arsenal’s core midfield trio, next to Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka. While Ramsey is in contract talks with the club, Xhaka has already agreed to a new long-term deal, which stretches till the summer of 2023.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall, Torreira is by no means the athletic figure on the pitch but he certainly could be one of the most intelligent ones. With an astute sense of controlling position in midfield along with a keen eye for the right challenge, the South American can set himself up to be a massive part of the Arsenal lineup.
He made 38 appearances for La Samp this past season and was directly involved in 5 goals. He has been earning plaudits for his country in the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well. The 22-year-old commanded the midfield to help his country to the quarter-finals of the international tournament.
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Torreira could fill in behind the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey to complete the creative outlet at the Emirates. Some of Xhaka’s defensive responsibilities could be eased off his shoulders by the introduction of the South American ace for sure.
