For a time last summer, the Italians thought they had managed to prize the diminutive Uruguayan away from Sampdoria to help fill the void left by Jorginho’s departure to Chelsea.
But then Unai Emery and Arsenal’s former head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat, nipped in and convinced the midfielder that London was a better bet than Naples.
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And as was evidenced on Thursday at the Emirates, Napoli’s loss has clearly been Arsenal’s gain.
Torreira has had a fabulous first season in England, but there is no doubt his performances have dipped somewhat since the turn of the year, which is perhaps no surprise given his exploits at the World Cup and having to adjust to a season with no winter break.