Mikel Arteta had opposing plans to Unai Emery when it came to how he wanted his Arsenal squad to look.
Those who were heroes under Emery became discardable to Arteta, with several former key players axed during Arsenal’s rebuild on the way to resurgence.
Arteta fell out with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was a driving force behind Emery’s early success in North London.
The same can be said for Mesut Ozil, who was sold by Arteta after his game time was reduced in N5, becoming a shadow of his former self.
While it was a shame for those that left, Arsenal haven’t looked back as Arteta has turned his squad into title challengers, but for some, it bears the thought as to where they’d be now had they not faced the chop.
Lucas Torreira was compared to Patrick Vieira by Arsenal fans
One player who went from hero to zero once Arteta became Arsenal manager was Lucas Torreira.
The Uruguayan spent only two seasons at the Emirates, but in that time, the midfielder made an incredible impact.
Standing at just five feet and four inches tall, there were doubts about the impact that Torreira could have in the Premier League, reservations that the 29-year-old quickly squashed.
Emery’s signing became a firm starter in the Arsenal squad, with fans even comparing his role as the Gunners’ midfield general to that of Patrick Vieira.
Speaking to Sky Sports in 2018, Torreira admitted he was flattered by such comparisons, revealing that he used to watch Vieira in action as a youngster in Uruguay.
“He’s an amazing player, I remember getting up in the mornings in Uruguay to watch him. I feel very happy and am looking to help the team.”
Torreira went from strength to strength under Emery at Arsenal, earning applause from every angle, including Ian Wright.
On an episode of BBC Match of the Day 2 [aired 2nd December 2018], Wright described Torreira as being the missing piece to Arsenal’s puzzle.
“He’s the guy we’ve been looking for for the past four or five years. Everybody has been asking, “When are we going to sign a defensive midfielder?” and now we have got that guy in Torreira.”
Torreira couldn’t escape being the subject of high praise, but then things went downhill quite rapidly as a changing of the guard saw Emery replaced by Arteta.
Mikel Arteta broke Torreira’s heart
After an emphatic 2018/19 campaign, the tenacious midfielder’s game time was reduced the following year when Arteta replaced Emery.
The highs ended with Arteta asking Torreira to find a new club, as the Spaniard didn’t see a future for the Uruguayan in his midfield.
The situation left Torreira devastated, as he disclosed to the Metro, revealing that he sought psychological help.
“I had been working with a psychologist in Spain because when in the second year at Arsenal I played very little.
“It was hard for me to really assimilate it because my life depends on football, and when I don’t play, I have a very bad time, I am in a very bad mood, and many things happen.”
Just one season after becoming an Arsenal hero, Arteta sanctioned Torreira’s loan to Atletico Madrid in 2020, then parted ways with the Uruguayan permanently in 2022 as he was sold to Galatasaray for just £5m.
After the 2018/19 season, no one would’ve anticipated how things ended for Torreira, whose Arsenal chapter ended in an incredibly painful fashion just as it began.
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