Arsenal: Complete player rankings for the 2018/19 season
By Josh Sippie
7. Lucas Torreira
To say that Lucas Torreira is everything Arsenal had been asking for for over half a decade is not an overstatement. Go back to any transfer window and scour the opinion pages, the call has always been there for a ball-winning midfielder with tenacity galore.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 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
- Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win
That’s what Lucas Torreira is. He was immediately compared to N’Golo Kante, and for just cause. The lad plays with such a fire and such fight that it’s impossible to to see some of Kante in Torreira. And not just because they are smaller in size.
But what makes Torreira even more exciting is the upside that he has in other facets of the game. Being a former striker, he has a pedigree in scoring goals, and while he didn’t manage many this year, he showed signs of being a potential goal threat down the road, with late Ramsey-esque runs into the box that result in seemingly easy goals.
At the end of the day though, it’s the defensive work rate that we are here for, and that’s the primary resource that Torreira is producing.
Oh, and he’s only 22 years old. The dude is still young enough to be considered a prospect. That’s nuts.
Andy (6), Josh (10)
Hold on tight for No. 6.