Lucas Torreira arrived at Arsenal during the summer transfer window in a £26.4 million deal from Sampdoria. His transfer was the most expensive purchase made by new Arsenal boss Unai Emery during the last transfer window, and came after he impressed while on duty for Uruguay during the 2018 World Cup.
The defensive midfielder is widely expected to be a key part of Emery’s first-team plans this season. While that may be the case going forward, he is so far being eased into the first-team.
The 22-year-old has yet to start a game for the Gunners. Instead, he has come off the bench in each of Arsenal’s Premier League games so far against Manchester City, Chelsea and West Ham.
Emery has instead opted to utilize Matteo Guendouzi on his starting XI so far. Guendouzi has received rave reviews for his performances, but had a bad game during Arsenal’s 3-1 victory against West Ham on Saturday.
Torreira, on the other hand, showed some good touches after coming off the bench against the Hammers and could be in line to make his first start for the Gunners when they take on Cardiff City on Sunday.
It will now be up to Torreira this week to prove to Emery in training that he is worthy of being handed his first start.
Speaking after Arsenal’s victory against West Ham, the South American revealed that he is still adapting to the Premier League.
He told Arsenal’s website: “I’m really happy,”
“It’s all very new for me because I’ve come from a different type of league.
“The climate is different here and the way of life too, but I’m settling in nicely and training hard – the sessions are different too.
“The confidence will grow with every game, so that’s great.”
