Arsenal have officially confirmed the arrival of Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira as he becomes Unai Emery’s fourth summer signing.
Veteran right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner became the first new face at Arsenal this summer as per BBC Sport, while Sky Sports note that Emery followed that up with goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
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With the defence evidently a priority, former Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos became the third signing, as reported by The Guardian, and so having shored things up at the back, the Spanish tactician has seemingly set his sights elsewhere in the squad.
According to the club’s official site, Torreira will join from Sampdoria and will wear the No.11 shirt on his arrival back in north London after his post-World Cup break.
The 22-year-old has impressed during his stint in Serie A, while Arsenal fans would have had a closer look at him during the World Cup in Russia this summer with Uruguay reaching the quarter-finals.
Despite still being in the early stages of his career, Torreira will add steeliness and defensive coverage in front of the backline, something that has arguably been missing at Arsenal for some time with Emery evidently keen to address the problem.
In turn, he may well now compliment the likes of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey well in that area of the pitch, giving them the license to play with a bit more freedom in an attacking sense.
Torreira made 38 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring four goals and providing an assist to show his ability to also offer a threat going forward too. Having improved tactically during his three years in Italy with Pescara and Sampdoria, he’ll now have to prove that he can successfully adjust to the tempo and physicality of the Premier League.
The wait is over… it's #TimeForTorreira ?
Welcome to Arsenal, @LTorreira34 ? pic.twitter.com/wnUDYuDMeS
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 10, 2018