As Lucas Torreira prepares to end his ill-fated Arsenal stint, we look back on what could have been for the tenacious Uruguayan at the Emirates Stadium.
At a whole 5ft 6in, Torreira was never going to act as the Gunners' long-desired replacement for Patrick Vieira, but his early performances under Unai Emery garnered plenty of promise from those on the red side of North London.
Paying Sampdoria £25.8m for a largely unknown 22-year-old could have easily backfired on Emery early doors, but after watching Torreira's dogged displays at the World Cup, the Spaniard knew that he had to have him in his team.
Arsenal fans have become renowned for their unorthodox methods of tracking transfers in recent years, and it was no different for Torreira, whose flight to North London was closely monitored by Gooners back in 2018 - perhaps with reasonable optimism that the South American could become their N'Golo Kante.
"In Lucas Torreira, we have signed a young player who is a very bright talent in the game. A midfielder with great quality, I have enjoyed watching his performances for Sampdoria in the past two seasons, and we all saw him do very well for Uruguay in the World Cup," Emery told Arsenal media after welcoming Torreira to the club, and the investment immediately appeared to pay off.
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It took a bit of time for Torreira to cement himself in the Arsenal XI, but when he became a fully-fledged member of Emery's crop, there was no displacing the little Uruguayan in the heart of the midfield.
Whether as part of a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 formation, Torreira complemented Granit Xhaka in the midfield perfectly. The ex-Pescara's man's ball-winning abilities were on full display as he featured regularly in Arsenal's 14-game unbeaten run in the top flight.
Then came the iconic goal against Tottenham Hotspur. While his battling display in the middle of the park garnered the most praise - notably from Gary Neville - his driven finish past Hugo Lloris sealed the deal in that 4-2 win for the Gunners, and he let out a roar of emotion on the Emirates turf as his teammates mobbed him.
"Torreira the terrier" as Neville affectionately called him then came up with an assist in a draw against Manchester United before his acrobatic winner against Huddersfield Town within the same week, which would appear to signal the start of a long and successful career at Arsenal.
The 2018-19 season may have ended in heartbreak for Arsenal and Torreira, who had tears in his eyes during the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Europa League final, but the stats did not lie.
Sometimes an easy target due to his small frame, Torreira was in the 99th percentile for fouls drawn in the 2018-19 Premier League season - as stated by FBref - and the 88th percentile for passes completed between 15 and 30 yards.
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A late red card against Tottenham was a slight blot on the notebook, but ending his debut season with two goals, five assists, 50 appearances and praise from all corners, Torreira would seemingly be a key man for Arsenal in 2019-20.
The introduction of Dani Ceballos would add greater competition to the Gunners' engine room, and Torreira was essentially given a new role as Arsenal's number 10, as the ostracization of Mesut Ozil had already begun by this point.
"This year we are playing also sometimes with just one and he can achieve with his quality to get to the box and get closer to score. He is very intelligent about getting space around the box and taking chances," Emery said in 2019 when explaining his rationale behind Torreira's position change.
"It depends on the shape. Last season his best position was playing as a deep midfield two alongside [Granit] Xhaka or Matteo. Then also, when we prepare the team to do high pressing, for us he is very important because he is very intelligent tactically, but he can play in the two positions."
While it is true that Torreira did not shy away from a goal contribution or two, Arsenal fans were still bewildered by the choice to push Torreira up the field given his effectiveness in a holding role.
Once Emery was long gone, the introduction of former midfield maestro Mikel Arteta would see Torreira revert to his favoured role alongside Xhaka, but a fractured ankle against Portsmouth in the FA Cup would confine him to the treatment room for months.
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Nevertheless, Torreira was afforded plenty of time to recover when the COVID-19 pandemic brought English football to a standstill, and he was nearly ready to go again when action resumed in the summer.
However, there was soon only room for two central midfielders in Arteta's experimental 3-4-3 system. With Xhaka incredibly highly-rated by Arteta and Ceballos enjoying one of the finest periods of his career, Torreira could not force his way back into the XI.
Even though he was only an unused substitute in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, Torreira was a prominent figure in the celebrations and was one of the first to hug Arteta at Wembley, but maybe that ankle injury derailed his Arsenal career more than initially feared.
Torreira still ended the 2019-20 Premier League season in the 93rd percentile for interceptions per 90 with 1.43, but when Thomas Partey joined the club from Atletico Madrid, his chances for regular starts slimmed even further.
Torreira and Partey would swap routes as the Uruguayan attempted to reignite his career under Diego Simeone, which spelled optimism from afar, but there were too many options in the Atletico midfield for him to truly make an impact.
Starting just three La Liga games and no Champions League matches summed up Torreira's below-par stint in the Spanish capital, even if he did collect a La Liga winners' medal, and he was also struck by personal tragedy.
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After recovering from his own bout of COVID-19, Torreira lost his mother to the virus in the spring of 2021, and a return to South America was seemingly on the cards so the midfielder could be closer to his family.
"I'm dying to play in Boca. If not now, in June or later. When my mother passed away, I told my agent that I don't want to play in Europe anymore, and I want to go to Boca," Torreira told ESPN Argentina at the time, and his father also implored Arsenal to let his son return home.
"Lucas is suffering a lot to be alone there in Europe, we are seeing how we can be there with him until the end of the season, If Lucas wants to come to Boca, let him come." Torreira's father told Radio Continental.
While Arsenal were sympathetic towards Torreira's predicament, the Gunners also pointed to the midfielder's existing contract until 2023, and a return to his homeland never materialised.
Instead, Torreira would make waves back in Serie A with Fiorentina, demonstrating the type of form which convinced Arsenal to spend big on him in the first place with five goals and two assists in 31 top-flight games.
La Viola would qualify for the Europa Conference League and reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia with Torreira in the first XI, and ending in the 95th percentile for percentage of dribblers tackled signalled the start of his revival.
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Fiorentina would seemingly have no problem forking out a measly £12.5m fee to sign Torreira permanently, as Dusan Vlahovic had just left the club in a £67.7m move to Juventus, and the fans were desperate to see the Uruguay international stay.
However, reports soon emerged of Fiorentina only being prepared to offer a £6m fee for Torreira, which understandably left Arsenal insulted, and the midfielder would openly criticise those at the club acting "in a bad way" during his goodbye message.
With Arsenal returning to the Europa League - a competition which Torreira has plenty of experience in - the option of keeping the ex-Sampdoria man on the books appealed to some, especially with Arteta seeking to bolster his midfield ranks.
Torreira was involved in Arsenal's pre-season tour to the USA, but it is understood that he has no desire to remain in the English capital, and a departure is therefore best for both parties before he walks away on a free transfer in 2023.
After forking out over £25m to sign him four years ago, Arsenal are now reportedly set to recoup just £5.9m from the sale of Torreira to Galatasaray, and that would only be if all add-ons are hit.
Such a sale highlights another transfer failing of the Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi era, but factors both on and off the field have contributed to Torreira's Arsenal struggles, and it is now up to Galatasaray to bring out the tough-tackling midfielder that is ready to re-emerge.
Ben Knapton
