Arsenal fans shoud be excited for impending Torreira arrival
Stephan Lichtsteiner was the first new arrival through the Emirates door this summer and it certainly doesn’t seem as though he’ll be the last. Arsenal have been linked with a number of signings this summer as Unai Emery looks to make an immediate impact in London.
Having landed the experienced right-back, the next port of call is a holding midfielder. While goalkeeper and centre-back are key areas that need investment, a ball winner in the middle of the park is a key area that has needed strengthening for some time.
Indeed, Emery has wasted no time in identifying players to strengthen Arsenal’s soft underbelly. Steven N’Zonzi was a target for the Gunners, with the Frenchman familiar with both the Premier League and the head coach due to their time together with Sevilla.
Marouane Fellaini is another rumoured target for the Gunners. The Belgian is out of contract this summer and widely expected to leave Manchester United, with a switch to Italy or Turkey on the cards. Arsenal may still be in the running for the 30-year-old, much to the dismay of both Gunners and United supporters.
However, at the third time of asking, it seems as though Arsenal are closing in on a midfielder who will excite fans. Lucas Torreira has enjoyed two successful seasons with Sampdoria, making more tackles and interceptions combined (356) than any other player since the start of the 2016/17 Serie A season. The 22-year-old will be eyeing up a starting spot in the Uruguay midfield at the World Cup this summer and Arsenal fans will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the youngster.
Despite his tentative years, Torreira has the means to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park and he is just the combative midfielder Arsenal have required to help haul themselves back up into contention for a Champions League finish. To go with his tackles and interceptions, he is also top for possession won in the midfield third (317) in the last two Serie A seasons to reinforce his fine work off the ball.
With returns of 60.8 passes per game and a 87.2% pass success rate in Italy’s top tier last term, Torreira carries out the needs of a holding midfielder to an extremely high standard. An ability to successfully win and retain possession is of the utmost importance for a player in Torriera’s position and he proved for Sampdoria just how well he carries out both duties.
It’s not just his ball winning ability that should boost the club, but a knack for scoring unbelievable goals too. All four of Torreira’s goals last season were scored from outside of the box - only Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (5) scored more of players aged 23 and under in Serie A last season - with his stunning free-kick in a 4-1 win over Chievo back in October a prime example, reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of ‘long shots’.
He’s a signing to excite Arsenal fans, that’s for sure, and the Gunners will be looking for this signing to be wrapped up sooner rather than later and understandably so with the north London side on the cusp of landing a top quality holding midfielder, who will only improve.
