Mikel Arteta’s decision to offload an Arsenal fans’ favourite didn’t receive unanimous agreement
Mikel Arteta discarded a former fans’ favourite(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta defied the wishes of Arsenal coaches by writing off a player he had allowed to join Atletico Madrid.
Lucas Torreira left Sampdoria in a £27million deal for the Gunners, then managed by Unai Emery, after starring for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup. The midfielder made a bright start to his Arsenal career, quickly becoming a fans’ favourite before injuries and a change of manager went against him.
After struggling for game time in his second season at the club, which saw Arteta replace the sacked Emery, he was shipped out to the Gunners’ upcoming Champions League semi-final opponents. Arsenal actually wanted to offload him permanently but with Atletico unwilling to commit, a loan deal was the compromise.
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Halfway through Torreira’s loan, having struggled to hold down a place in Diego Simeone’s side, reports emerged that he was unhappy in Spain. Meanwhile, Arsenal were open to cutting all ties with Torreira to allow him to secure a permanent move elsewhere.
At the time, according to Sky Sports, several Arsenal coaches were still friendly with Torreira and opposed his sale, despite him being out of Arteta’s plans.
Addressing Torreira’s situation at the time, the Gunners’ then sporting director, Edu, told Spanish title AS: “The situation is very simple. Arsenal are concerned about Torreira, his happiness, that he plays and that he is well.
Lucas Torreira (centre) with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Europa League defeat to Chelsea in 2019(Image: Getty Images)
“We want to know about him, how he feels and, later, of course, know what Atletico thinks. For us, Lucas and his happiness are what’s more important.
“If everyone is happy, we will continue like this. If Lucas is not well, we will look for a change because there are many teams that are calling me to ask about the player’s situation.”
Torreira eventually secured another loan move, to Fiorentina, before finally severing all ties with the Gunners by joining Galatasaray on a permanent deal in 2022. Now 30, he remains with the Turkish giants.
Torreira is now thriving in Turkey(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Torreira admitted his move was motivated by a desire to secure first-team football ahead of the 2022 World Cup. He said: “I had to have continuity for the World Cup. That’s why I decided to go to Turkey and Galatasaray.
“Their project ended up convincing me. And it’s very important for a player like me to continue having continuity, as I had last season.”
Torreira is now looking forward to his third World Cup with Uruguay, who are in a group with Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain.
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