da premier bet： As Arsenal continue to march on in the quest to secure the Premier League title, manager Mikel Arteta may well reflect on what was a vital summer clearout prior to the start of the campaign, with the Spaniard having somewhat ruthlessly overseen the exits of the likes of Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe – among others – in order to continue putting his own stamp on the squad.
da dobrowin： One further figure that had a perhaps more low-key departure during that mass exodus was diminutive midfielder, Lucas Torreira, with the Uruguay international having joined Turkish giants Galatasaray on a permanent deal after spending the previous two seasons out on loan at Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, respectively.
That exit marked what had largely been an underwhelming spell in north London for the 27-year-old, in truth, with the Emirates outfit likely to be regretting forking out roughly £26m to bring the 40-cap maestro to England in the first place, having plucked the tenacious ace from Serie A side Sampdoria in 2018.
What went wrong for Torreira at Arsenal?
That capture of the Fray Bentos-born dynamo had initially looked like astute business for former boss Unai Emery, with Torreira having made a stunning start to life in the Premier League, notably netting in a thumping 4-2 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur just a matter of months into his time at the club.
That standout display ultimately saw the 5 foot 5 warrior lauded by club legend Martin Keown, with the former England international notably likening the new addition to his former teammate, Patrick Vieira:
‘It was the best all-round midfield display I have seen in an Arsenal shirt since Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva used to run the show. Torreira and Vieira could not be more different in terms of size and stature but their drive and determination is exactly the same.’
Also praised as “incredible” and described as a “fighter” by teammate Bernd Leno following that north London derby performance, the former Pescara man would also net a stunning scissor kick just days later in a win over Huddersfield Town, having quickly established himself as a leading presence in Emery’s side.
Despite that impressive debut campaign, however, the defensive-minded menace would go on to make just 17 league starts the following season as he quickly faded from view, having somewhat slipped down the pecking order amid Arteta’s arrival in the dugout.
A place on the bench for the FA Cup final triumph at the end of the 2019/20 campaign proved to be Torreira’s last real involvement for the club, as he ultimately went on to join Atletico later that year, before making the move to Florence the following season.
That latter switch proved particularly impressive as the all-action “leader” – as lauded by pundit Domenico Caso – scored five times in 31 league games for the Serie A side, albeit with that form ultimately not doing enough to alter his situation back at his parent club.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements by Arteta and co, the no-nonsense star was allowed to depart for Istanbul back in August, with Arsenal sanctioning his exit for a minimal fee of just £5.5m.
That price tag proved around five times less than what the Gunners had initially paid for him four years earlier, with the inability to recoup a greater figure representing something of a howler as far as the club are concerned.