Arsenal: Lucas Torreira more than just Jack Wilshere replacement

Jack Wilshere announced that he will leave Arsenal this summer just as the Gunners come close to signing Lucas Torreira. But that does not mean that the Sampdoria midfielder is Wilshere’s replacement. He’s more than that.

A new era is coming. That much was clear as soon as Arsene Wenger announced that he would be resigning this summer. But as the transfer window has progressed, certain players have departed and other, un-Wenger-like targets have arrived, the chasm between what Arsenal were and what Arsenal will be is growing.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

The latest shift from what was is the impending exit of Jack Wilshere, who will leave when his contract expires at the end of June, the midfielder, who is emblematic of the latter decade under Wenger, announcing his decision on social media on Tuesday evening.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

It is funny timing. As Wilshere leaves, the Gunners’ reported deal for Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira has up steam, with Sampdoria’s President, Massimo Ferrero, confirming that the Uruguayan international had left for £26.4 million. Torreira had long been linked with a move to the Emirates, though any official news was slow in coming in large part because of the World Cup, and the deal is now seen as a formality.

His arrival, though, should not be seen as a direct replacement for Wilshere, at least not in terms of the role that he will play, the style of his game and the midfield composition that Unai Emery will employ. Yes, it does seem like a one-in-one-out policy, but Torreira is much more than just a replacement for the outgoing Wilshere.

Most crucially, he plays a different position. Where Wilshere is an attacking midfielder with his first thought often a creative, goal-generating one, Torreira, although lacking the typical size of the position, is far more akin to anchoring, screening midfielder, prioritising defensive protection, not reckless, attacking abandon.

That nuanced difference results in very different styles. Wilshere is a ball-playing midfielder. He wants the ball. He does his best work with the ball at his feet. Torreira, while perfectly comfortable in possession, is most effective without it, snapping at the opposition, pressing them into mistakes, making interceptions, haring about the pitch with great energy and industry.

As such, Emery will not use Torreira how Wenger used Wilshere. Wilshere was often the most attacking of three central midfielders — he even played in the front-three of a 3-4-3 earlier in the year. Torreira will not be pushed into such attacking areas. He will partner Granit Xhaka at the base of the midfield, affording freedom to his teammates to roam further up the pitch.

Next: Arsenal: 2017/18 player rankings

So while Torreira may be arriving as Wilshere is leaving, he is not a replacement for the Englishman. He is different. Very different. And Arsenal might just be better for it.