Arsenal: ‘Crazy’ Lucas Torreira can get even crazier yet

Arsenal finally have their “crazy” defensive midfielder in Lucas Torreira, but this whole thing can get even crazier if he plays his cards right.

Arsenal‘s marquee signing of the summer was the man who has only just begun to get his starts in the Premier League, Lucas Torreira. And the reason he was so marquee wasn’t just because he was the most expensive signing of the summer. It’s because of what he stood for.

Torreira was a culmination of years of failed experiments in the midfield. Arsene Wenger’s inability to land N’Golo Kante coupled with his refusal (and not altogether unreasonable) to sign a strictly defensive midfielder has starved fans for what they really want – someone who can defend other than just defenders.

Torreira is every bit a solution to a very real and long-term problem and some teammates are taking note too. Sokratis, who is, himself, a solution to the defensive woes at the club, has pointed out that Lucas Torreira, while calm and remarkably passive off the pitch, is “crazy” on the pitch.

We’ve seen it already, as fans. Torreira is fearless in his challenges. Size means nothing to him. He doesn’t care that he is more times than not the smallest man on the pitch, he will make the tackle with whatever he has at his disposal, head included.

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All in all, it’s plain to see why Torreira could be construed as crazy for his style of play, but things could get even crazier yet in the best way possible.

Part of the problem with the midfield that Wenger tried to put together is that no one was able to, for lack of a better phrase, put themselves all together. They were never good enough or consistent enough and, in the end, they failed like all the others.

What would be crazier than Lucas Torreira solving all of these problems in the midfield, maximizing Granit Xhaka, elevating himself above Kante in terms of midfield enforcers and even adding a little razzle-dazzle to the attack?

The craziest thing about all of the aforementioned craziness is that it really could happen. Torreira is a special player, and while he is certainly crazy on the pitch, he could go crazier than crazy by making all these borderline unrealistic expectations not crazy at all, but part of daily life.

All this to say that Torreira is getting better, and will continue to get better. He’s already such a valuable, ‘crazy’ part of the team and it’s getting better all the time.