Arsenal have confirmed their fourth recruit of the summer transfer window with Lucas Torreira arriving from Sampdoria for an undisclosed fee.
The Uruguayan was tipped to join the Gunners prior to the summer World Cup but the move was supposedly delayed with the midfielder keen on maintaining his focus with the national team.
Torreira featured in all five games for Uruguay in their progress to the quarter-final stage where they were eventually knocked out by France.
The 22-year-old has now penned a long-term deal with the Gunners after a month-long transfer saga and the club have confirmed that he will be wearing the number 11 shirt, formerly worn by Mesut Ozil.
We're excited to have you with us, @LTorreira34 👊#WeAreTheArsenal 🔴https://t.co/vKUK48McMZ
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 10, 2018
Arsenal have struggled to pursue a tough-tackling defender with consistency in the ranks since the days of Patrick Vieira but they have been high hopes laid on Torreira, who was one of the bright lights for Uruguay during the World Cup.
As per Squawka, the Uruguayan was only behind Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante in terms of interceptions when compared to Premier League players and it will be interesting to see how he fares with the high intensity football in the English top-flight.
Torreira is now certain to go on vacation for the next three weeks at the least and his involvement at the start of the Premier League campaign may depend on whether he can quickly build up his fitness following his comeback.
Arsenal are also close to announcing the signings of Matteo Guendouzi from French outfit Lorient and the 19-year-old is likely to ply his trade for the Under-23s for the upcoming campaign.
