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Arsenal star Lucas Torreira reveals how Unai Emery sold him on summer transfer

Star signing | Torreira has excelled for Arsenal this season: PA
Star signing | Torreira has excelled for Arsenal this season: PA

Lucas Torreira has revealed that a phone call from Arsenal head coach Unai Emery before the World Cup helped convince him to make his move to the Premier League.

Arsenal agreed to pay Sampdoria £26million for the Uruguayan midfielder and already seem to have made a shrewd investment, with Torreira arguably already the most important player in Emery’s side.

It is understood that both Juventus and AC Milan were keen on Torreira before he departed Serie A, and the 22-year-old admitted surprise that his performances with Sampdoria had caught the attention of Premier League giants.

“At the end of my last season at Sampdoria there were lots of teams being mentioned,” he said. "I never imagined coming here to England because it was mainly Italian teams being mentioned.

“Before I left for the World Cup I got a call from the coach which was a massive surprise for me. I knew that I had earned it because of all my hard work and everything that I had done. That phone call made me a very happy man.

“It allowed me to relax too because it allowed me to focus all of my attention on the national team and the World Cup.

“I’m so proud to be part of such an important team and it gives me a lot of motivation to keep improving, to keep developing and to give everything I have for the team.”

Torreira swiftly settled into the top flight and has scored decisive goals in his last two home games: the fourth and final in a convincing north London derby win over Tottenham, and a late winner to secure all three points over Huddersfield.

Despite appearances, Torreira insists his move to London has not been all plain sailing.

“It hasn’t all been easy though: there’s the language and the issue of communicating,” he said. “I’m lucky because the coach is Spanish and the coaching staff are too, so that makes things easier for me because they can explain things to me in Spanish.

“It’s also not been easy to adapt to the football here: the intensity, the tempo and quality of games. At Sampdoria I had been used to playing in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, whereas now I’m involved in four competitions here as well as with the national team.

“It’s very demanding but I try to prepare myself the best I can to ensure I’m up to the challenge.”