Arsenal target Ferran Torres became a ‘last-minute thought’ as they tried to sign an attacker ahead of Thursday’s deadline, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Gunners were in the market for another attacker after allowing Nicolas Pepe to join OGC Nice in the summer but were unable to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s options in the final third of the pitch.
What is the latest news involving Torres?
Spanish outlet El Nacional, have reported that Arsenal had a bid rejected by Barca for Torres in the final days of the transfer window.
It’s claimed that the offer was worth around £26 million and that the Catalan giants’ hierarchy initially believed it to be acceptable only for Xavi to end the negotiations.
The 42-year-old tactician reportedly delt it wasn’t the right time to let Torres depart Camp Nou just six months after his arrival from Manchester City in a big-money move.
Barca splashed out an initial £46.7m to prise the Spain international away from the Etihad Stadium with a further £8.5m to be paid in potential add-ons.
However, the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have pushed Torres down Xavi’s pecking order and he has struggled to find his best form in a Barcelona shirt.
What has Jones said about Torres?
Jones has revealed that Torres has been on Arsenal’s radar for some time but signing him in the previous window ‘just wasn’t possible’.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “With Ferran, he became a last-minute thought. He’s a player that they tried to sign earlier in Arteta’s reign, but it just wasn’t possible.
“So, it was kind of just revisiting a situation that they’d looked at before because of how many players Barcelona basically have, but it just wasn’t achievable.”
Would Torres be a good signing?
Torres showed glimpses of his true potential for the Blaugrana last term, registering seven goals and six assists in 26 appearances across all competitions.
The 22-year-old has failed to find the back of the net or provide an assist in his opening three outings of the current campaign, though, and has started just one La Liga fixture.
As per FBref, Torres has ranked in the 97th percentile for total shots, 94th for progressive passes received, 91st for touches in the attacking penalty area, and 90th for non-penalty expected goals amongst his positional peers over the last year, though.
Torres is also capable of playing across the entire forward line, and if an opportunity to bring him back to English football does arise, Arsenal could pick up a very talented and versatile player.
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