Arsenal will listen to offers for Xhaka and Torreira – Ornstein

The Gunners are open to considering offers for Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira this summer according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. 

Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka has endured a challenging season so far at Arsenal. He was appointed club captain by former boss Unai Emery earlier in the season. Xhaka was jeered by Arsenal fans when he was substituted off in a game against Crystal Palace at the Emirates. He reacted very strongly and took off his jersey and threw it to the ground. The Swiss midfielder received a lot of criticism from the Arsenal faithful and was eventually stripped of the Arsenal captaincy. 

Xhaka looked set to move to Hoffenheim in January but Mikel Arteta who had recently replaced Emery as Arsenal head coach considered him an important part of his team and convinced the player to stay. Under Arteta, Xhaka has put in a string of impressive performances and contributed significantly to an upturn in the club’s form. 

In spite of his positive contributions, Xhaka is one of the players Arsenal are open to sell in the summer as they look to raise funds for Arteta to use to put his imprint on the squad. 

Lucas Torreira

Lucas Torreira signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2018 from Sampdoria. He had a very good first season in North London and offered the Gunners bite in their midfield, something they had been without for a long time. He broke up attacks and helped Arsenal control the midfield battle. His form suffered towards the end of the season and Arsenal’s campaign came apart at the seams. In the summer of 2019, Torreira was strongly linked with a return to Italy with AC Milan but eventually the decision was made that he would continue at Arsenal. 

Torreira’s second season with the Gunners has been frustrating. He was played in an advanced position in midfield by Emery. It was a move that baffled many and definitely didn’t accomplish whatever it was supposed to. Under Arteta, the Uruguayan midfielder has been playing in the role that Arsenal fans are used to seeing him in and he has been impressive. He has started 6 out of the 9 Premier League games that he has been available for since Arteta’s arrival. On Dani Ceballos’ return from injury, he was sometimes preferred over Torreira by the Arsenal head coach. 

The former Sampdoria player has recovered from an injury suffered at Portsmouth and although he will miss the game against Manchester City later today, he can be expected to play a role in Arsenal’s run in. His future at the club, however, is now up in the air as the Gunners prepare for a summer overhaul.