Arsenal’s most important signing of the summer was the early acquisition of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria, and it was a very shrewd bit of business to get him signed before he played in the World Cup, as he impressed everyone with his solid performances and we certainly would have had a lot more competition for his services at the end of the tournament.
But the Uruguayan is yet to start a game for the Gunners, despite looking very comfortable when he was on the pitch. It was inevitable that Unai Emery was going to be asked why he wasn’t an automatic starter yet. “He’s improving and getting to know his teammates.” the coach said. “For me, all the minutes he’s playing are very important for the performance. [He needs] to continue working. Every minute they are playing, they are [improving] their performances. It’s very important also for me to have another [option] in midfield. Matteo has started very well in the Premier League. Xhaka is very important for us and Elneny is working well every day. We need good players and good commitment when they are on the pitch. Lucas is like that.”
The fact is that Lucas was one of the last to join up with his team-mates in pre-season, and he is not just having to learn about his new team and our tactics, he also has to get used to a new language and a new city and the intensity of playing in the Premier League. It is very sensible of Emery to introduce him slowly and Torreira will be the better player for it in the end, no matter how much we all want to him to play the full 90 minutes in every game.
Sam P