Lucas Torreira has admitted that he struggled with life at Arsenal due to limited native speakers within the squad.
The Uruguay international left the club to join Atletico Madrid on Deadline Day last month, while Thomas Partey moved in the opposite direction in a separate deal.
He has since been enjoying his football in Spain, and claims that having a number of native speakers, including within the coaching setup has aided him.
“This affects me a lot,” Lucas Torreira told AS when talking about the amount of native speakers in and around the club.
“I have two Uruguayan colleagues, a Uruguayan teacher, an Argentine coaching staff and language is an important factor, too.
“I was in England for two years and that issue cost me, beyond that I was taking classes.
“I know that I came to Atletico Madrid, a club with a lot of hierarchy that fights important things, that also influenced this decision I made.”
Torreira looks to have played his last match for Arsenal, which is unfortunate because he has the talent needed to succeed, but the language barrier appears to have been too significant to overcome.
Should he continue with his fine form since arriving in Spain, his new club will likely pursue a permanent deal for him next summer, although negotiations may become tricky with reports that Atletico were unhappy with our late pursuit of Partey.
Is there any chance that Torreira could come back to the Emirates as a player next summer, similarly to the way in which Mo Elneny has returned from his loan to make an impact in the first-team?
Patrick
