Arsenal: If you weren’t excited about Lucas Torreira yet, you are now

Arsenal’s World Cup showing has been a mixed bag, but Lucas Torreira is giving us plenty to be excited about going forward.

Arsenal have yet to announce Lucas Torreira, but nearly everyone concedes that it is a done deal. All they have to do yet is wait for Uruguay’s World Cup run to end so they can get on with Torreira’s finalization.

Torreira was not a big name guy when the Gunners won him over. They jumped on him early, given the World Cup and how it can change how players are viewed, and it’s clear why they jumped on it so early.

Because Torreira is doing some amazing things at the World Cup.

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If, for whatever reason, you were not yet excited by the Torreira signing because you don’t like rough-and-tumble midfielders with technical nous and fearless defensive capabilities, you should be excited now.

Matched against Portugal in a thriller, Torreira showed us so much of what we want out of a player. He chopped down Ronaldo and the proceeded to throw his body into a locked and loaded Ronaldo shot (this happened more than once), just one of a handful of blocked shots he contributed to the Uruguayan cause.

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He also ruthlessly flattened Bernardo Silva (cleanly, I should add) on a clear chance at a breakaway for Portugal.

That isn’t all that Torreira has done, though. Throughout the competition, we have seen him fearlessly defend the back line, push the ball up field and, perhaps most importantly, legitimately win his position in the starting XI.

Torreira did not play the first two matches of the World Cup. He came on as a sub and apparently Uruguayan head coach Oscar Tabarez liked what he saw, because Torreira has been a mainstay ever since.

That is the kind of competitor that the Gunners need in the middle of the pitch, and it shows an edge that has been sorely lacking as well.

I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t have been excited about the impending Torreira arrival, but on the off-chance that you weren’t, you absolutely have to be now. Just watch the shift that he puts in every time he plays 90 minutes. Whether it was against a feeble Russia or a tough Portugal, Torreira was a masterful presence in terms of ball control and ball winning.

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This young man is the real deal, and he will reach new heights with Arsenal. It’s time to be extra excited.