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Ian Wright has praised the impact that Lucas Torreira has made since joining Arsenal from Sampdoria in the summer for £26m. 

The Uruguayan defensive midfielder has appeared in every Premier League game for the Gunners this season and has established himself as a key member of Unai Emery's squad at the Emirates.

Already a favourite amongst Arsenal fans due to his tenacious tackling as well as his eye for a pass, Torreira has started to add goals to his game in recent weeks. 

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The 22-year-old scored his first ever goal for the Gunners in their 4-2 victory over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the north London Derby last week before netting a sensational acrobatic winner against Huddersfield yesterday.

Despite having an abundance of creativity going forward, Arsenal have suffered considerably in recent times from the absence of a defensive midfielder, especially since Alex Song's departure to Barcelona in 2012.

Speaking to BBC Sport as quoted by thesportreview, Ian Wright declared that Torreira could be the player to fill the void for the Gunners in midfield by admitting that: "[Torreira is] the guy we have been looking for in the past three or four seasons.

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"Arsenal supporters wanted to know when are we going to sign a defensive midfielder. We have got the guy we needed.

"He was magnificent [against Tottenham]. The way he plays, he is everywhere on the pitch. He gets into positions where he can get into people."

Torreira's ability to control the tempo of a game has drawn comparisons from some Arsenal fans with former players Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silva who both played in a similar position to the Uruguayan.

The Gunners have undoubtedly improved since they purchased the midfielder in the summer transfer window and are currently fifth in the Premier League.

Emery's men face Qarabag at the Emirates in the Europa League on Thursday having already secured their place in the last 32 and will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 22 games in all competitions.