Arsenal are one step closer to securing their midfield unit for the 2018/19 season with Lucas Torreira ready for an imminent medical at the North London club, according to Sky Sports Italy reporter Fabrizio Romano.
The reliable journalist also claimed on his personal Twitter account that Unai Emery’s new-look Gunners team will finalise a deal for Sokratis Papastathopoulous.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1012296244302053377
Torreira is currently away on duty at the World Cup with Uruguay, so an announcement of the signing could come once the southern American giants are eliminated (or win).
Good move for Arsenal?
Absolutely on both counts.
Torreira is a tenacious hard work midfielder, and possesses a diverse range of abilities with the ball. Dead balls are a specialty for the Uruguayan, but his defensive prowess has also been shown.
Papastathopoulous is another kettle of fish, and will once again further sure up the Arsenal back lines. The experience brought by the Greece international could become invaluable to Emery ahead of his first season in the Premier League with Arsenal.
This Is Futbol rating – 10/10
Likely to happen?
Seems so.
It’s been common knowledge for a while that Emery was targetting these two players, but particularly in Torreira’s case, the World Cup could be getting in the way.
With a medical scheduled, that deal seems a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.
The Papastathopoulous case looks to be much the same, as Emery has targetted the back line as a key area of need, having already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner.
This Is Futbol rating – 9/10