What happened to Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira since leaving Arsenal? | OneFootball

Arsenal are currently regarded as one of the best teams in the Premier League and their squad is littered with plenty of top talent from across Europe and beyond.

This was on display for the majority of the 2022/23 season, as the Gunners came close to ending Manchester City's dominance over the Premier League. It wasn't to be for Mikel Arteta's side that time around, but the north London outfit have continued to develop and boast some of the continent's best players.

However, that hasn't always been the case in recent memory, with Arsenal's post-Arsene Wenger recruitment having been left wanting at times. One of the main culprits was Unai Emery, who struggled to make a mark in the transfer window during his short stint in charge of the club.

Two of his final signings while in charge of Arsenal saw him bring midfield duo Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira to the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners splashing big bucks on the pair of them. It's safe to say the moves didn't work out as expected, as both Guendouzi and Torreira were out the door almost as quickly as they'd been welcomed in.

But with their careers having somewhat stabilised following their Emirates Stadium exits, GIVEMESPORT have taken a look at what happened to Guendouzi and Torreira after leaving Arsenal.

Joining back in the summer of 2018, there was plenty of anticipation surrounding the signing of Torreira at Arsenal. The midfield anchor had impressed during a three-year stint with Italian outfit Sampdoria, with Arsenal splashing £26 million to bring him to the Premier League.

Expected to be part of the Arsenal midfield for the next decade, the then 22-year-old commanded a healthy dose of excitement, with manager Emery the happiest to see him in Arsenal red. The Spanish coach told the club website upon Torreira's arrival that the midfielder was a 'very bright talent', who has a desire to 'keep on growing' with the club.

Things did get off to a positive start for Torreira in north London, as the Uruguay international notched up an impressive 50 appearances across all competitions during his maiden season at Arsenal. Unfortunately for him though, during the next three years, Torreira would go on to manage just 39 more outings for the club instead, as he quickly fell out of favour following Emery's sacking in November 2019.

The former Sampdoria man would pick up an FA Cup winner's medal with Arsenal in 2019/20, but Torreira only played twice during the Gunners' cup run. It quickly became clear he wasn't fancied by new boss Arteta, with a series of loan moves punctuating the rest of his Arsenal career.

The most successful was with Atletico Madrid during the 2020/21 season, as they edged past Barcelona and Real Madrid to lift a historic La Liga title. But as was the case at Arsenal, most of Torreira's time would be spent on the bench in Madrid and he left the Spanish capital at the end of the season having made just 26 appearances across all competitions.

Torreira would officially call quits on his time with Arsenal in the summer of 2022, when he secured a move to Turkish giant Galatasaray for a fee reported to be in the region of around £5.5 million. A steal compared to the £26 million Arsenal bought him for four years earlier, with Torreira proving to be a hit in Turkey, featuring 34 times for Galatasaray during their record-extending Super Lig title-winning campaign.

Such an achievement earned Galatasaray qualification into the Champions League, where they went on to record a memorable victory away to Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2023 - a game Torreira played 61 minutes of.

1 Matteo Guendouzi

Much like Torreira, Guendouzi also arrived at Arsenal as part of Emery's 2018 summer spending spree, but unlike the Uruguayan, the latter didn't cost nearly as much. Instead, it looked as if Arsenal had snatched a bargain when they signed the promising French midfielder from Ligue 2 outfit Lorient for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million.

Aged just 19 when he arrived at the Emirates Stadium, Guendouzi was another player dubbed for the future, but he was quickly finding himself on the pitch and in the side during his first season at the club. Under Emery in the 2018/19 campaign, Guendouzi mustered up a combined total of 48 appearances across all competitions - not bad going for a teenager.

Granted, his game time was aided by Arsenal's Europa League campaign, but the French midfielder did manage to start seven of their 15 fixtures in the competition, and was brought off the bench as a substitute during the final against Chelsea. Of course, that fixture would end in disappointment for the Gunners, as an Eden Hazard-inspired Chelsea ran riot in Baku, but just like Torreira, the chance to lift silverware at Arsenal would arrive the following season.

Unfortunately for Guendouzi, fitness concerns would stop him from being in the matchday squad for the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2020, but the midfielder did manage to pick up a winner's medal nonetheless. It would prove to be his last action as an Arsenal player, as the same summer he was sent out on loan to the then-Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin.

Showing signs of promise during his spell with the German side, Guendouzi would again be loaned out the following season, this time joining Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille. Playing in every game of Marseille's 2021/22 season, the French club decided to activate a clause in his contract which allowed them to sign him permanently for around £8 million the season after.

Looking like he'd finally settled and found a home at Marseille, Guendouzi would go on to make a further 43 appearances across the 2022/23 season for the French side, only to once again be loaned out ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Similarly to his original move away from Arsenal, this loan deal also includes an option to buy, with Lazio likely to pay Marseille a reported £12 million in the summer of 2024.