Napoli show interest in Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira following the Uruguayan’s change in role
Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira is not happy with his change in role under boss Unai Emery according to his agent, causing Napoli to register their interest in the young midfielder.
Emery has not utilised the Uruguayan in his preferred position as a central defensive midfielder who breaks up the play but has insisted on playing Torreira has their creative midfielder in a ‘number 10’ role.
The 23-year-old’s agent, Raffaele Bentancur, came out in an interview for a radio show stating that the diminutive midfielder has showcased his displeasure in terms of the position he plays under Emery.
Bentancur did, however, state that his client his happy to stay in North London and thus, a move does not look highly probable especially considering that he believes that the Gunners want to keep Torreira.
Napoli alongside their Italian rivals AC Milan have been long term admirers of the former Sampdoria man and Torreira was heavily linked with a return back to Seria A last summer.
The defensive midfielder has only started four Premier League games for Arsenal with Emery preferring the likes of Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi over the Uruguayan, which has also said to cause some unrest with the player.
Either way, Arsenal have been in disastrous form under the former Paris Saint-Germain manager, having won only 4 out of their 12 games in the league and have a negative goal difference. That is despite having an attack that is nearly worth £200m in transfer fees.
In Europe, it is a much different story as the Gunners have won three out of four in the Europa League, where Torreira started in his preferred position in all of Arsenal’s wins.
Torreira produced some great displays as a defensive midfielder in those Europa League games, reminding fans of what potential he showed during his time at Sampdoria.
The Uruguayan moved to North London in the summer of 2018 for £27m following a great breakout season in Serie A and a sensational World Cup.
His playstyle has been likened to the likes of N’golo Kante and he displayed some of their similarities in the first few months as a Gunner. However, Emery has been unable to build a system around him to support him causing his performances to deteriorate.
A move to Napoli could have done him well considering he already knows the league, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are in a turmoil of their own.
The club is at war with its fans as the Napoli faithful want to get rid of the likes of Lorenzo Insigne meaning that a move to Naples would not do the young midfielder any favours in the current moment.
