According to Madrid-based daily AS (Esp), Atletico Madrid are in talks with Arsenal over a loan move for Lucas Torreira.
It was reported last week that Diego Simeone had made contact with the Uruguayan international personally, and the Spanish side have now stepped up their attempts to bring him in on a one year loan.
Their financial situation currently makes any other kind of deal impossible, but obviously it wouldn’t provide the kind of cash-injection we’re looking for in order to strengthen our own squad.
However, the fact that Torreira is potentially moving to the same club as one of our long-standing targets, Thomas Partey, might open a door there – even if Atletico still prefer for the €50m release clause paid.
A midfielder in and a midfielder out makes sense, and as football accounting grows ever more complex, it’s not impossible to think Torreira could be used as some kind of a makeweight in a deal for the Ghanaian international. Could it be a loan at first, then some kind of swap + cash deal which makes sense for both clubs?
There remains interest in Torreira from Italy, with Torino coach Marco Giampaolo said to be keen to work with the player he had at Sampdoria.
Ultimately, much depends on the financial aspects. Not simply between the two clubs, but Torreira’s Arsenal salary is significant, and the player wants to ensure he doesn’t take a cut wherever he ends up.
Whatever the make up of the Arsenal squad this season, it feels like we’re going to be part of a big transfer chess game, in which pieces move here, there and everywhere in order to make deals happen.
The Torreira situation might be a pawn in a bigger thing on a board with square bits and white and black horses and pointy bishops, and if you’re looking for better transfer analysis than that, then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place.
Pay them the 50 mio for Partey, then they have cash and bill them 30 for Lucas. They still have 20 left. We got our man. Everybody‘s happy and we can finish it this summer and don’t have to mess around with loans and new negotiations next year.
It’s a handy solution, but I’m not sure that will happen. The report mentions wages – a constant negative factor in potential Arsenal transfers out. We’re simply paying well over the market rate to many of the players we want to offload and, surprise, surprise, they won’t move for a pay cut and potential buyers won’t destroy their club wage structure to get them. Anyway, who knows – there’s still time do do something and the pressure of the transfer deadline may help.
Plus we apparently don’t have the 20 mil (if your figures are correct) to pay them.
We just received 20 for Emi, so I’m pretty sure we got them.
So Gabriel was free, was he? Funny, I thought he cost about £27million inc. add-ons? If so, the Martinez money has already been spent, hasn’t it. I never fail to marvel at the way some fans count money coming in, but not money going out. Do they do this with their own finances, I wonder? Hopefully not!
So sponsorships, merchandise, fans going to games and TV money isn’t included in transfer money? I know covid is hitting them hard but there should be at least 80 to 100m there every year without having to sell any players and that’s just to keep up.
Where does this 80-100 million come from, especially during Covid? From your ass?
The clubs accountant strikes again. So in yours eyes we don’t have any transfer budget at all? I know where pretty smashed but even spurs have spent 60m and a big layout on bale plus having a new stadium and there still on the look out for a striker. Kroenke get your wallet out you tight pri#k.
This is a needlessly sarcastic reply, and kind of silly given that Gabriel moved before Martinez.
Yes, I agree. We need to sell to buy but I guess we could raise the money through another sale – not quite sure who though.
I really don’t get the fuss with wages. It’s not like the NBA where the salary is fixed over the course of a contract. Torreira wants to move, Torreira better be prepared to take a wage cut – what is this insistence on continuing on a PL salary while not playing PL football? Bizarre.
As for the transfer wizards over at Atletico, congratulations on shelling out 120 million on a 19 year old and then looking for player loans PLUS cash going your way. Real underdog moves amigos.
This cracked me up. But it’s true that Atletico’s transfer business has been woeful the past couple of years. Some bizarre transfers (60m for Lemar).
50/50 at best ?
Think that is bizarre, Arsene offered 90M for lemar!
They thought they got the new ronaldo. Well noone really knows who the new who will be. Im just guessing the guy in charge of transfers in athletico must be buddies with abidal from barca. Both make shitty buys. Too bad we couldnt take advantage of them (oh why didnt we sell xhaka 50 mil to them)
Still can’t believe how Ramsey earns as much as he does
That Tv series where he yells at waiters is a big reason.
Made me laugh, catharsis for the transfer anxiety Arsenal always ends up inducing. Hah! Thank you..
It’s a balance, isn’t it – how strong is the urge to move against the potential loss in wages. It appears from reports that he’d have to take a big cut to go to Spain. He may agree, in the end, to do that in which case it’s good news all round. Evidence about other Arsenal players suggests however that it is an important factor which has prevented potential transfers. I’m certainly not saying Atletico’s record is great – but surely the example you give will make them generally more financially cautious in future, which may work against us.
He needs to weigh up cost benefits. Sit on your arse at arsenal for another 2 years and see out the contract, then what wages does he think he will get on his next contract? Half? Less? Go get first team football and take a 40% hit on wages, and earn your next contract at perhaps 120% of that. That would be the smart move. Realise the 2 years at Arsenal was a healthy bonus and not the norm. Move on and play the game you’re meant to love and stay involved with the national team too. Hanging around just… Read more »
Plus playing , you could become a Legend. Legacy. No brainer
Well, we’ll see. I hope he does leave but I’m not as confident as you that he will, or if he does he’ll do it on terms that benefit us.
tbh I always find it a bit strange that people stay put in order to get paid 8m a year instead of 6m or 3m or whatever
I mean you’re basically winning the lottery every year. Surely you’d rather play.
Sure you want maximise your earnings, but it’s silly money either way
What about Ozil then?
Ozil actually wants to play football for the Arsenal rather than sit on his arse, as many idiots would have you believe.
Idiots who still can’t get it through their thick heads that Ozil doesn’t select the match day squad. If he doesn’t play – that’s not his choice.
Not strictly true, if he really wanted to play football he could. I recognise that he’s well within his rights not to take a paycut and move elsewhere (and in light of the redundancies/how the squad paycuts were handled I can see his point) but he’s clearly not that bothered about playing football
Who pick the team?
By the same logic, it’s not my choice that I don’t play for Arsenal either.
If Ozil were remotely at the level expected when he was given the contract, Arteta would select him.
The fact that he isn’t is the reason he doesn’t.
You spoken to him about it then?
It is true that Torreira might face a choice between staying at Arsenal and taking a wage cut. And he may then choose to stay at Arsenal. So, if Arsenal really want to move him on, there’s bound to be a fuss about wages; you don’t have to be a transfer wizard to get that.
Atletico can easily afford Torreiras wages – their average player salary last year was roughly 110,000 gbp per week which means they likely have quite a few on wages higher than whatever we pay him. Complaining about wages is just an attempt to get Arsenal to lower a fee in this case and should be completely ignored given the way they’re playing hardball on Partey
You’re missing the point about wages in the current financial climate. Of course they have players earning more than Torreira may earn BUT they don’t have gate receipts coming in, do they? Spanish clubs, like ours, are losing money hand over fist because of Covid. The extreme case there is FC Barcelona who were reported to have lost up to 300 million euro because of Covid effects on gate receipts, TV income, merchandise sales, sponsorship etc. Atletico aren’t in their league, but they must be losing considerable sums (for them). If so, they will not want to increase expenditure more… Read more »
I think your missing Atom’s point which is that they are pleading poverty but not recognising Arsenal are facing these same issues. Continuing to treat PL clubs as a cash cow and not differentiating a books balancing club like Arsenal from the likes of Chelsea and Citeh
Thank god for your financial analysis we’d all be in the dark without you
It’s amazing no one has thought of this before. Can no one in Spain do simple maths? Is it possible that this is more complicated?
loan swap for partey makes sense for us as well.
If they don’t agree to sell Party, then we should just tell to forget our special 30 Milion rated Torreira
So who benefits from that solution? We need to sell players to buy. Given that it appears Arteta is happy to let Torreira go (clearly not “special” enough as he’s surplus to requirements) and wants to bring in someone such as Partey or Aouar, if we keep Torreira and don’t get Arteta’s preferred replacement it’s Arsenal who are the losers. I think the expression “shooting ourselves in the foot” is appropriate.
That might be the case but torreira has other suitors, and I can’t fathom why Arleta couldn’t use him if push came to shove.
Regardless we can’t dictate how other clubs operate.
True, I think Torino were supposed to be interested but nothing has happened as far as I know. Suitors are one thing, but will anyone do the deed? I agree that it would be a good idea to use him if he can. We could repeat what happened with Martinez – if Torreira played a blinder or two it may encourage a bid (as it did with Martinez). Not sure if Arteta will but the League Cup would be an opportunity though.
What if, Partey was to come in on loan? I mean loan swap deal. Torreira going the other way?
One can dream.
But honestly, we need to sort out our midfield.
Very, very, tricky to pull off. The article mentions one massive stumbling block for example, Torreira’s wages which are clearly far more than Partey’s. Atletico won’t bust their club wage structure (the way we did with Ozil’s wages, for example) because that’s financially reckless. And Torreira is unlikely to leave for a massive pay cut. Short of us subsidising Torreira’s wages in Spain (equally daft), how do you square that circle?
The information I’ve found might be incorrect, but I see Torreira making £75,000 a week. Atletico had like ten guys making more than that last season, most of them making way more than that. Yes, this would be a rise from what they’re paying Partey (that’s listed as £47,000) but nothing astronomical. Is this really that significant of an issue?
And Arsenal could easily say. Ok we’ll pay all Partey’s wage plus £25,000 of Torriera. Leaving Atleti to pay about the same as they were.
Option to buy for £22M for Torriera, Obligation to Buy to Partey for £45M (£10M payment up front, £35M in one-year when hopefully we have a little more cash – and no Ozil). That would benefit all clubs easing the short-term impacts on all. Both players get their moves too. Everyone happy.
Apologies for the off-topic question, Daveo, but I was wondering if you used to participate in computer hardware forums back in the late 90’s, early 00’s?
The guy who introduced me to Arsenal way back then went by the handle DaveO and Dave wasn’t even his name.
No. I solely frequented computer software forums in those days.
Could be even more complicated. I bet Lucas tears it up in Spain on a yearlong loan. Seems rather suited for their Second midfield player. So if I’m Arsenal that’s a 40-55million player for them (casemiro comparisons?)at the top of his game. So countenance that with selling for a cutprice 20million if I were on the board this would be significantly more complicated discussion .
25 million and y’all can have him
I still wonder how sanchez mkhi straight swap took place. Only if we can do that here. Love Lucas as a player but his situation is bit similar to Kante when emery came in and just played him out in the wrong position. But can understand him wanting a move. Let see how we negotiate this one.
emery is no longer here…he doesn’t seem to fit in to arsenal team right now and his height seems to be major disadvantage in the Premier League
I know emery ain’t here and his height wasn’t a major disadvantage because he was tenacious. But bro at least spell our club name correctly.
Got nothing to do with height. I don’t remember Santi being the tallest player, or Alexis for that matter. Both flourished, and though I hate to admit it, Alexis was a beast in the air too.
Emery experimented on Torreira. And those experiments were abject failures. Also, everyone thought he was a panacea to all our defensive midfield problems. He just wasn’t.
hes a dm so his height is obviously a disadvantge to winning headersin midfield not to mention at set pieces
Seem so uncompromising on the Partey fee yet they want to download our player in Torrents?
you wouldn’t download a midfielder…
Downloading a defender? Sure, why not?
Downloading a midfielder? GTFO
You wouldn’t download a car.
Piracy. It’s a crime.
???? Brilliant
I prefer the Torino news 😉
We should be able to do a swap. Torreira + staggered cash payments (over 2 or 3 seasons) for Partey. This should work. If they want cash then let’s pay them a certain percentage of it and pay the rest later
Next summer we would be paying out at least 30m-40m for players we already have?
People forgetting we need to make that 20m Pepe payments still.
That’s how transfers typically work though and clubs budget for that – in a lot of ways it’s no different than us agreeing to sign a player on a 5 year deal. We make sure we are going to have the finances to sign the player for the duration of the contract even if the cash goes out over a period of five years. Some fans are getting way too hung up on the actual timing of the cash flows.
another accountant
I’m so thankful this news is reported here in Arseblog.com, that too with just 3 poos ?
Read this last night in couple of websites who are always spewing transfer news, so couldn’t believe it.
Well if Torreria is so unhappy at arsenal then why would he not take a pay cut? Its not like he’ll be only getting £5 a week at Athletico is it!!!
Though I don’t see Torreira as the flashy type, some players have exorbitant personal expenses that come with the lifestyle.
A rich player may have payment plans in place for so many things. Real estate, sports cars, jewellery, jeys, investment funds, pension funds and in some cases NGO foundations.
Most of these are not essential but it’s not like they can be cancelled on a whim once payments are due.
Explain to me how that would make any sense to Arsenal? Especially in a situation where Torrere + Money from Martinez = Partey
If LT is involved in this loan/swap whatever deal, then Laca will have to be sold. For one, Partey will not address our lack of creativity. We will then have to put Laca/Bellerin/Holding on sale because we will need funds for the creative midfielder, again blowing our squad/budget out of the water. Xhaka can’t be considered because he is unlikely to be sold, and even if Arsenal want to sell, he is too limited a player to have a value anywhere close to what we paid for him, Ozil is staying put, and whether or not Pepe convinces Arteta enough… Read more »
Laca might not be, if we can get fees for Musti guendouzi sokratis and a loan fee or two we have our aouar.
18m 12m 4m 2m 2m roughly gets us 38m and I think we could get him at that sort of price range.
It completely depends on if Arteta is playing FM or a 90s console game LMA manager.
If he’s playing FM he can ship out 12 players in 48hours and force Lyon to accept a lower fee.
Play Willian as AM (with support from ESR, Willock, and maybe even that ol’ washed up german guy if we have to) for this season and chase Aouar next season. I’d love to have both, but with Willian’s arrival the far more important need IMO is having more drive and versaility in midfield. Our options are dire. We have so few options that can turn players and drive the ball through the middle of the pitch. We’ve been lacking that since, well Xhaka’s arrival. Partey is big, strong, fast, technically gifted, while quite right-footed can use his left, can pick… Read more »
I don’t disagree about Partey’s quality. But about chasing Auoar (or any other player of that profile) next season doesn’t address our initial dearth. ESR? He is 20. Saka? A teenager. Willock? I think most would agree he is far from exceptional. Willian is a maybe, and then Pepe would be on the right. Nice attack there, no doubt. But this is Arsenal. Is it that impossible to see both Pepe and Willian being simultaneously injured? Again, next season – how many times have we been priced out of a move or have had our transfers hijacked? That Lyon president… Read more »
I don’t agree with you that AM is more needed than a more versatile, stronger, fast, CM that can turn players and drive the ball through the middle. I think you missed my whole point. Yes I think we need both to compete properly, Aouar would be great, but with Willian coming in we have options to play a 4-3-3 (along with support from ESR, Willock, even Saka and Nelson), if and only if we have some more drive in midfield. With Xhaka and Ceballos we have one who can’t turn players and drive the ball forward (Xhaka) and one… Read more »
Add to that if we miss out on Aouar because we get priced out then so be it. There are other options and cheaper ones too. Szoboszlai for example. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to see Aouar arrive, but you simply cannot be ransomed for money we don’t have. That ransoming is capped with Partey due to the buy out clause.
If you’re talking ransom, you should use letters cut out of newspapers, not boldface.
I agree. Obsession with players like Aouar or Partey isn’t something we can afford at the moment. Liverpool target and time their bids magnificently and there’s a lot to be learned there.
All our statement pieces over the last year have had mixed to poor investments. Ozil Xhaka Mustafi Sanchez Laca Pepe. Auba has been the lone standout.
We need to be tougher and more ruthless negotiating.
Saka is good enough for the first team now, jury is still out on the other two
Of course he is good, but again, we have seen enough teenagers getting off like firecrackers but having problems with injuries. Saka needs time but not because he isn’t good enough for the first team (an idiotic notion if anyone believes otherwise). It only took one injury for Wilshere’s never-ending saga to start. I can’t stress enough how much I fear the other shoe dropping in terms of injuries, as it were. Already Martinelli is a long term injury. I know it is not rational, but still, every time a big talent emerges (like Saka), it becomes scary after a… Read more »
Also important to not over play those youngsters when their bodies are still growing to protect them from injuries later in the career like Jack, Cesc, Ramsey, Rooney, Owen all suffered from.
There’s no accounting for bad luck, mate. Also, Arteta and staff might have big plans for Smith-Rowe and Willock (I rate both very highly – they just need more self belief and hunger) and getting another body in front of them is not really the wisest thing to do.
Even a new signing can get injured… then what?
willock? come on now
Was about to mention that players hardly ever lose out on a transfer but then I remembered there was this guy who took a pay cut to move from Everton to Arsenal. He did so well he earned himself a healthy pay rise the next season.
It takes character and self belief to back yourself, to weigh other things against the simple value of money, to know what you want and to make sacrifices to get it.
So many players are just footballing automatons controlled by agents. That guy seems different, we need more guys like that.
Unfortunately, for that guy a pay cut seems to follow whenever he sets foot in Arsenal
Indeed
Good point often overlooked. That he managed to nurse team morale through a pay cut and into an FA cup makes it all the more remarkable.
Lol
Likely to be loan will compulsory purchase but loan fee.
Likely 5m loan, 15m compulsory purchase, 100% wages paid by Atleti.
Which would help them offset his wages since he will be undervalued at the end of his loan.
We get both his wages, Partey and a small contribution to Aouar.
Win all around.
Negative Nelly in me thinks that this is just delay tactic by Atheltico. I mean we were chasing Partey all summer while it was all too evident that Torreira was not part of Arteta’s plans for us.
If they wanted to sell us Partey and replace him with Torreira it would have happened a lot earlier.
At this point it looks like an attempt to drag business until deadline wherein they hope us to capitulate and pay up what they want or some one else throws more monies at them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s atletico trying trying to stop us signing partey. They don’t want to sell. If we don’t buy he’ll sign a new contract which is on the table. We seem to be trying to lower their price by saying we won’t budge and if we have to, we’ll buy last minute and you then won’t have time to replace him. It’s our way of making them bite the bullet and accept a lower bid now. But they know we want aouar and probably view him as number 1 target so need the money. If we… Read more »
Saw a few Partey videos and I’m not sure what everyone’s excited about. Doesn’t look like a 50mil player to me.
Seriously? Who/what is then?
Glad you cleared that up for me with your videos and global scouts that have him extremely highly rated, including Arsenal scouts, have been so wrong.
Any negotiation(s) for Torreira that does not generate funds for Aouar Partey is really uninteresting to me.
“It was reported last week that Diego Simeone had made contact with the Uruguayan international personally”
Isn’t that illegal?
if that assurance is what it takes to convince him to accept the pay cut then you would let it be… just then quit pissing the club about if you truly want him knowing very well they have their own lines of pursuit
Typical Arsenal. Buy player for 30mn, pay X wages. Sell same player for 5mn, and pay player 5mn for lost wages.
Not sure when we last made a profit on sale of “proven” players like Torreira. Only Man Utd fare worse than us, in this aspect.
Wouldnt say typical since its not necessarily how we used to operate… been a feature of the last 7-8 years or so
Unless there’s a compulsory purchase clause inserted or it’s a sweetener to get Partey cheaper then I don’t really see the point in a loan if we could sell him instead. We should only be loaning out players if we really can’t sell them permanently and it’s the sort of deal that would only happen in the final days of the window.
What is Torreira singing? “Arrivaderci Torino, goodbye to Italy” or “Oh this year I’m off to Sunny Spain Y Viva Espana” ??
Where ever it is he needs to make his mind up
Shame he wasn’t the player we thought he was, our opponents sussed out how to nullify him, same with Gendousi, sit on the pair and break our link to forwards, still think Ozil has a part to play this season, better through ball player than Dani yet Dani works a lot harder.
Doesn’t make sense. We need the money (if we are going for Aouar) or as a make weight for Partey. Loan won’t do us any good. As is we have already spent 24m on Mangalhaes and another 20m due for Saliba/Pepe) Something the media conveniently forgets. We’ve made just 20m on Martinez. If Torreira is valued at 22m and that is deducted off of their partey 45m valuation, we will still have to fork out 23m. That will have to possibly come from say a Kola sale (12m) and then maybe one of Chambers or Mustafi if not this window… Read more »
Make weight and Partey in though will likely mean no Aoaur and either a compromise cheaper player LCM or use Partey and Xhaka deeper with Ceballos into the hole marauding.
It will be a more defensive secure alternative to Aouar AND Ceballos which will be a more offensively creative approach.
Different priorities.
We can’t have both unless we are willing to dilute say and get an Ibrahim Sarabia for 10m at DM (developing player) and then a younger say Szoboslai for mid20m to 30m at AM/LCM.
AM can loan us Partey. This is not something to pursue without something in return.
Partey is not better than Torreira.
I do not see the sense in pairing Xhaka and Ceballous who are attacking minded. Take back Torreira to his defensive/midfield role and play him consistently.
Ceballous is not creating well; he moves the balls only to the sides and does not give the killer passes expected of him.
Buy the Lyon man and play Torreira consistently. Let Atleti know we are a bigger club.