Arsenal's Lucas Torreira Says 'It Was Better in Italy' Amid AC Milan Rumours
June 13, 2019
Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has talked about his struggles to adapt to life in England, saying "it was better in Italy" when he played for Sampdoria.
The Uruguayan moved to the Emirates Stadium last summer from Samp for £26 million. He enjoyed a relatively successful debut season with the Gunners as they finished fifth in the Premier League.
But amid links to AC Milan, Torreira has now said he did not enjoyed his opening year in north London, per Ovacion (h/t Vaishali Bhardwaj of the Evening Standard):
"I don't know if there are many things that I enjoy. I think it was better in Italy. England is a totally different world, a very large country. The language [barrier] has stopped me, to be able to relate with my teammates and with the people. It is very difficult when you can't have dialogue.
"And so is the climate. You go out in the morning and it is cloudy, you arrive late to your home and it is cloudy. It is strange a little bit, the sun, the more of us that we are here and we are accustomed to having always or almost always the sun. But as the years pass, I'm going to be adapting."
He added, though, that he was "satisfied and happy with what I did in the year."
Losing Torreira would be a big blow for Arsenal as he boasts a number of attributes lacking elsewhere in the Gunners' engine room.
He is a tireless worker, technically gifted with the ball at his feet, and perhaps most crucially, causes havoc to opposition attacks:
At 23, he is also still developing and is only likely to get better as he gets more experience at the highest level.
A 16-time Uruguay international, he is part of La Celeste's squad for the 2019 Copa America, which gets under way on Friday.
Uruguay kick off their campaign against Ecuador on Sunday before facing Japan and Chile in Group C.
After his latest comments, if Torreira impresses in Brazil, there may be more clubs than AC Milan looking to make a move for him this summer.