Written by Harry Rawlings @HarryRawlings1

Name: Lucas Torreira
Age: 22
Height: 5ft6
Team: Sampdoria
Positions: CDM
Nationality: Uruguayan

Overview:
Standing at just 5 foot 6, his diminutive figure is not to be underestimated. What Torreira lacks in height and physical strength, he makes up for with fierce tenacity and footballing ability. He is a central defensive midfielder who is superb at breaking up oppositions attacks. Although he is not your stereotypical 6ft plus bruiser one would normally associate with the position, he makes up for it by anticipating where the ball is going to be played and then intercepting. The timing of his tackles is impeccable and he always seems to get a toe in on the ball to snuffle out opposition attacks. However, his defensive prowess does not define him as a midfielder. Torreira is very calm on the ball and keeps possession very well. With his low centre of gravity he is able to twist and turn out of tight situations and knows exactly when to go down and win a foul to relieve the pressure on his team. He is also able to get on the ball and dictate the tempo of a game and is not shy to take a set piece. This season over 27 appearances, he has netted 4 goals, averaged 0.9 shots per game, 1.1 key passes and 1.2 dribbles. These stats show that whilst he primarily plays as a defensive midfielder, he is still affective when joining the attack. Torreira is vital in Sampdoria’s use of small triangles in their build up play as he moves the ball quickly and uses his spatial awareness to drift into areas and create angles for passing lanes to his teammates. If you come across Sampdoria playing on BT sport then try to watch them as they play some fantastic football and are punching above their weight, sitting 6th in the table and fighting for European football next season. Torreira has proved himself to be very dependable and a player a manager can build his team around, as Marco Giampaolo has done this season.

Comparisons:
He reminds me a little bit of Scott Parker, the way he spins and swerves out of tight situations and always puts his body on the line when defending. Others have compared him to Marco Veratti of PSG, a complete master of the midfield who can do it all. At 22 years of age he is still improving and I have no doubt he will go right to the top but he could potentially have one more move before he gets there. If we were able to sign him, it would be an absolute coup.

West Ham:
If West Ham were to capture the services of a player so good, it would give Moyes a lot of tactical options. He could play two central midfielders in front of a back four which would allow for more attacking players to be on the pitch as there would be the security of knowing the defence is well screened and breaks are likely to be stopped. He could also operate in a midfield three if Moyes was looking to dominate the midfield, this would permit Kouyate to get back to his box to box best, which has rarely been seen since our last season at Upton Park. We have been close to signing William Carvalho and Leander Dendoncker in previous windows and clearly it is a priority position for us. So, I really hope our scouts get out to Genoa and watch this maestro in the flesh.

Links:
Athletico Madrid, Napoli and Roma have shown an interest but with established top class players such as Saul, Koke, Jorginho, Allen and De Rossi already there, his game time is not guaranteed. So maybe a move to a Premier League team looking to get to the much talked about ‘next level’, could be a viable option for him whilst he is still young? He is yet to make a senior appearance for Uruguay, but if he carries on this form he could make it into the World Cup squad. I think it would take a bid of £30 to £40million to capture his services.