Arsenal: One transfer target from each Serie A club

Sampdoria

Okay, so here’s the thing. I really like Lucas Torreira. I really do. But it just hasn’t worked out. So is it crazy to just do a do-over and buy Torreira’s former teammate and a guy who plays the game similarly, Karol Linetty? No. It’s not crazy. Because I still believe that Torreira would improve if he only settled into England better.

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Linetty is from Poland. Not exactly tropical.

Linetty is also a better candidate to be a midfield pivot. He plays with that bulldog tenacity of a smaller defensive midfielder, but he is more acclimated to playing centrally, or on the right or left, and carrying the ball, contributing to the attack whenever possible.

His two goals and three assists on the year are as many as Torreira had in nearly 6000 minutes at Sampdoria, and it’s not an anomaly. He’s accumulated nine goals and 12 assists in four years, paired with some stellar defensive numbers.

Linetty has flown under the transfer radar for a while but I’m all for a little infusion of Polish goodness into this midfield.