Does Lucas Torreira still have a future at Arsenal?

Lucas Torreira will return to Arsenal after a successful loan spell at Fiorentina, but what is next for the 26-year-old after he failed to make his move permanent with La Viola?

The midfielder is the forgotten man at Arsenal. The diminutive midfielder has been loaned out the last two seasons and his future is clearly not with the Gunners.

The tough-as-nails Uruguayan will be a member of the Arsenal squad to undertake pre-season preparations, despite the fact he knows his future lies elsewhere.

Bought in 2018 for a reported £26m fee, Torreira will be best remembered for his strike and performance against Tottenham in a 4-2 win at the Emirates amid a promising debut season. The 26-year-old picked up Man of the Match awards for fun at one stage, as he showed his capabilities.

However, he was used sparingly the following season as an ankle injury took a big chunk out of his year. With the COVID pandemic causing the league to halt operations, he was allowed to heal in time for the restart of the season in June, but the writing was already on the wall with Mikel Arteta succeeding Unai Emery as manager the previous December.

He was loaned out to Atletico Madrid in 2020/21 before joining Italian side Fiorentina for the 2021/22 campaign. Despite his impressive form in Florence, it’s clear that he is not part of Arteta’s plans. But as he looks set to return to the club, it is yet another situation that the club must fix.

At the point in their development where much of the so-called “deadwood” has been removed from Arsenal’s ranks, Torreira was one of those players thought to be moving on. But, as we know, Fiorentina’s unwillingness to stump up the fee required has seen Torreira, who has publicly stated his love for La Viola, leave the club in sour circumstances.

A place for Torreira at Arsenal?

So does the 26-year-old have a future with the Gunners? Arteta’s apparent lack of interest in keeping him, even with a midfield group that is depleted, suggests it will only be a matter of time before he is moved on.

With only one year left on his deal, the Gunners might be forced to simply take what they can get, even though Fiorentina’s bid of just £6m for Torreira angered the Arsenal hierarchy so much that they refused to respond.

His career in north London started promisingly, but now the Uruguayan is the latest to fall by the wayside. Failure to make a starting spot his own, coupled with multiple loans, it seems that it is only a matter of time before Lucas Torreira is at his third club in three years.

Without question, he has a decent footballing future ahead of him, but it’s not at Arsenal.