Arsenal: The Lucas Torreira ‘U-turn’ was inevitable

Arsenal have reportedly made a ‘U-turn’ on the potential signing of Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira. Such reports, unfortunately, were inevitable.

Arsenal’s pursuit of Lucas Torreira has not been a quick one. That is not meant as a slight on Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat in their executing of the transfer. It is simply a fact. The Gunners’ move for Torreira has taken quite a long time — it was announced by David Ornstein and BBC Sport, a source that is fairly conservative and slow when it comes to transfer news, on June 12th, 16 days ago.

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It is not especially surprising that that is the case. First and foremost, modern day, high-profile transfers are complex, with a lot of moving parts that must all fit together and work in unison. There is a lot to do and only one element must fail for the whole move to fall through.

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But there is an added complexity to Arsenal’s move for Torreira, the World Cup. Torreira is currently in Russia with the Uruguayan squad. He started his first game earlier this week against Russia, having made two substitute appearances in the two games prior. That makes things more difficult, obviously. A medical would have to wait until after the tournament or undertaken in Russia, communication between the player, his agent and the club is awkward. Torreira cannot visit the Emirates to get a feel for the club if he is unsure about the switch.

The delays that have come are not surprising or even unexpected. This was never going to be an especially swift deal. And they have led to the most inevitable of media reports: the dreaded ‘U-turn’.

The Daily Star — reputable source, I know — have published an article which you can read here summarising the points that Spanish journalist Kike Marin made on Twitter, claiming that the club could have made a U-turn regarding their pursuit of the scrappy midfielder.

I don’t believe the suggestion whatsoever. This happens every time a deal takes a while. How many times did Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil stay and then leave throughout the six months of utter uncertainty and controversy during the closing stages of their deals and the former’s tenure at the Emirates?

This is just another example of a media outlet desperate to drum up some interest in a move that has been completed by stating the opposite to what everyone thinks just for the sake of it so that their website numbers are that much healthier. It’s inevitable and utterly ignorable.

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Every other report that I have read has stated that opposite. Sampdoria have publicly stated that the deal is complete. There is nothing but a medical and the official announcement to come. There has been no ‘U-turn’. It’s just rubbish old media talk.