With the transfer window looming, you might want to avoid transferring to Arsenal to play your football if your name is Lucas. It’s probably a coincidence, but it appears that anyone by that name tends to struggle for various reasons in the famous red and white jersey.
Perez floundered, as did Podolski before him and now it’s the turn of Lucas Torreira, who has lost confidence and form and allegedly wants to return to Italy. It’s been a sad move for the little Uruguayan who was snapped up by Sven Mislintat in 2018, but who has never found consistency or lived up to expectations.
After six months, it was said that he was unhappy and his fluctuating form indicated problems. Since then, under both Emery and Arteta, the defensive midfielder has failed to make his mark and secure a regular starting slot.
It’s a real shame because supporters had taken to the Uruguayan international and looked forward to success with him in place. The truth is that he never had a regular partner of similar quality and as a result, his game all but dried up.
I don’t doubt that he will go in the summer as Arsenal try to rid themselves of surplus or unproductive players and the money they get will certainly help them buy a decent replacement. Idrissa Gueye (PSG), Wilfried Ndidi (Leicester), and of course, Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid), would be more than adequate alternatives for the little ankle snapper. Partey is already said to be an Arsenal target and Chelsea are said to in the hunt for Gueye.
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Recent years have seen the rise of the defensive midfielder and now it seems everyone in the modern game either has one or wants one. Lucas Torreira will be snapped up by any Serie A club for a price of £32.4m under normal circumstances and that would be a good return on Arsenal’s original purchase price of £25.79m, but you can expect some deviation on the price in the aftermath of COVID 19.
Torreira’s best moment was his goal in the North London derby against Spurs in 2018, as he celebrated joyously by running around the pitch with his shirt off, we all sensed big things ahead but it just hasn’t happened. Part of me will be sad to see him go if the persistent rumours are indeed true, but we haven’t had his best and only that will do.
