Arsenal are yet to see the best of Lucas Torreira
Arsenal fans went into hysteria when little-known Uruguayan, Lucas Torreira completely dominated Portugal in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. The then Sampdoria man had been linked to Arsenal after a wonderful season in the Serie A and was seen as the long-term answer to the midfield woes the Gunners had faced since the exit of club legend, Patrick Vieira. Some fans even called him an upgrade of Chelsea enforcer, N’Golo Kante, with the diminutive player known for his goals, setpiece delivery as well as his main role of protecting the back four.
The legendary Frenchman had led the North London outfit to many trophies over the years with his larger-than-life personality and his insatiable appetite to set standards for himself and his teammates. While Torreira is a different player to Vieira, he offers something similar: mopping up danger in the Arsenal half and making crucial interceptions to disrupt opposition attacks. According to Sky sports, Arsenal shelled out £25m for his signature from Sampdoria but many Gunners fans are divided about his impact at The Emirates Stadium.
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A school of thought believes that he has not lived up to the standards expected of him while some are of the opinion that this season could be the unraveling of his full potential. While his first season was not that spectacular, here are four reasons why the real Torreira could stand and be counted for the 13-time English champions.
Arsenal are desperate to make up for last season
It is fair to say that Arsenal didn’t have the best of times last season. A fifth-placed finish in the Premier League and a disappointing Europa League defeat to Chelsea means that there is no Champions League football at The Emirates Stadium. Unai Emery will be desperate for more solidity in the middle of the park, a position that was quite vulnerable as revealed by Cashout ticket following the number of goals they shipped in. Torreira needs to be given more opportunities to do his best to ahead of the likes of Granit Xhaka.
A year experience in the Premier League is gold
Sometimes the best players in the Premier League have come good in their second season. It takes a lot of time to adjust to the rigors and demands of the division, but a year of playing and settling down in England will help him become a better player. His family is settled in the English capital and the way he refuted the links to AC Milan during the transfer window shows he is ready to make his mark on the English game.
He has a lot to prove
Torreira came in with a massive reputation of being one of the best defensive midfielders in Italy in the 2017/18 campaign and had statistics that could rival that of Kante. While he was good in his 34 league appearances, he came off the bench in about 10 of these games, which shows that he was not really first choice in the mind of manager, Unai Emery. With a solid Copa America campaign with Uruguay, he missed the pre-season of Arsenal and that has somewhat affected his place in the starting XI.
Arsenal are desperate to see the best of Torreira and there are reasons to believe he will still come good for them. Everyone will be waiting, most especially the Gunners fans who have fallen in love with him right from when he “caged” Ronaldo at the World Cup.
