Arsenal and Lucas Torreira: If it’s not there, it’s not there

Arsenal are fighting to keep Lucas Torreira, but if it isn’t there, it isn’t there, and that would mean it’s time to get the price you want and let it go.

It’s the unfortunate saga of the summer, brought to you by Arsenal! It seems like every year, there is an inevitability that we really don’t want to see happen, but ends up happening regardless. And this year, it’s shaping up to be the pending exit of fan favorite Lucas Torreira.

After one whole year, cementing himself as a centerpiece of the new Unai Emery era, winning our hearts with his head tackles and fervent celebration after scoring against Tottenham, the English weather was just too much to handle, and Torreira is heading for the exit and the allure of a bid from AC Milan.

Of course, it won’t go down that easily. The Gunners are supposedly fighting to keep him on board, but that’s a mistake. With this new era needing to find it’s feet, you can’t be wasting your time on guys that don’t want to be here. Get the price you want and cut him loose.

I mentioned in a previous article how I never took Lucas Torreira to be a quitter. I refused to believe that he actually wanted to leave, especially after he spoke about how he would “adapt” as the years went by.

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Inferring that he was determined to stay and grow into this role he had carved out for himself at his new digs, serving as the side kick to Granit Xhaka‘s superhero and, ideally, becoming a superhero himself one day.

But in the span of a few days, after reading the reports that he has told Arsenal that he wants to leave, it’s time to be the ruthless club you need to be. What happens when you have players that don’t want to be here? They don’t play to the standards you need from them. They don’t have the same conviction that everyone else, the guys that want to be there, have.

That’s problematic. The problem at this club has long been a mental one, and if you want to fix that, you have to stomp out any embers of discontent, even if they are only embers right now.

If he wants to go, cut him loose for the price you want and reinvest that into someone else who actually wants to be here. Don’t waste time trying to talk him into liking rain.