Lucas Torreira, a midfielder, has left Arsenal and signed a long-term contract with Galatasaray of Turkey after a disappointing spell at the North London club.
The last two seasons of the Uruguayan international were spent on loan with Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, respectively.
The 26-year-old joined the Gunners from Sampdoria in July 2018, just before Unai Emery took over as manager, and he made 89 appearances for the club.
He won La Liga while on loan at Atletico Madrid in 2021; he was an unused substitute when the north London club defeated Chelsea in the 2020 FA Cup final.
‘Everyone at Arsenal thanks Lucas for his contribution during his time with us,’ read a statement on Arsenal’s website.
‘We wish Lucas and his family the best of health and happiness in their new chapter with Galatasaray.’
Lucas Torreira
Soccer player Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua (born 11 February 1996) represents both Uruguay’s national team and Turkish club Galatasaray as a midfielder.
Arsenal Career
Torreira signed a contract with English club Arsenal on July 10, 2018, for an unknown sum that is estimated to be approximately £26 million.
On August 12, 2018, Torreira made his Premier League debut against Manchester City, losing 2-0, with a 70th-minute substitution.
In a 3-2 victory over Cardiff City, Torreira contributed his first assist of the year by setting up Alexandre Lacazette for the game-winning goal.
In the 4-2 victory over FC Vorskla Poltava on September 2, 2018, Torreira made both his full-debut and Europa League debut for Arsenal before being substituted by Matteo Guendouzi in the 57th minute.
Fans and analysts alike highly praised Torreira’s performance in Arsenal’s 1-1 tie with Liverpool, earning him the match’s MVP honors.
On December 2, 2018 against Tottenham Hotspur, Torreira scored his first goal for Arsenal and earned another man-of-the-match award. He did this by latching onto a pass from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and putting the ball past Hugo Lloris to give Arsenal a fourth goal in a 4-2 triumph.
Lucas Torreira Tooth
Lucas Torreira demonstrated his dedication to the Fiorentina team while on loan at the club by playing on after losing his tooth during a tie at the San Siro.
Then, the 26-year-old midfielder was playing his second season away from parent club Arsenal after a summer attempt to get a permanent transfer away from north London fell through.
During his spell at Fiorentina, he equaled his total from his two seasons with the Gunners by scoring his fourth goal of the year to give Fiorentina the lead away against high-flying Inter Milan.
Torreira’s teeth broke soon after the hosts equalized through Denzel Dumfries. But he chose to remove the tooth himself rather than leave the game to receive care.
What Happened to Lucas Torreira
First, let’s talk about his appearance. The Premier League is the league with the greatest degree of unpredictability. The sides to be faced will play in a variety of styles, from Sean Dyche’s bully-ball to Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka.
This necessitates the highest level of fitness from the players, which Torreira has not been able to sustain, leading to a decline in performance during his first season with Arsenal.
Torreira, who is only 5 feet 6 inches tall, frequently loses to stronger opponents. He averages only 0.4 victories per game in aerial combat, can be defeated one on one on the ground (winning 60% of his ground duels in only 3.1 attempts), and lacks the athleticism to recover.
With these weaknesses, Torreira had an extremely difficult time surviving without the ball and even more so while facing a counterattack.
Along with personal shortcomings, Torreira is not maximized by the way Emery and Arteta set up their respective sides.
