Facundo Torres: Things to know

Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent weeks but for many fans, he is a relative unknown. The 22-year-old is only really known to those who pay particular attention to MLS, as he plays his football for Orlando City.

He was eyed by Arsenal during the back end of 2022 but that move did not materialise and now it seems a summer transfer is a much more likely option for Torres.

Here is everything you need to know before he potentially land in the Premier League.

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Who has been linked with Facundo Torres?

Torres was considered as potential back-up and cover for England international Bukayo Saka when Arsenal were showing interest at the end of the 2022 MLS season.

“Orlando City confirmed to me that there was contact with Arsenal, but then I left for the World Cup and I didn’t want to hear about a potential transfer at that point. So the conversation stayed there but now that I am back with the team, we will see where the conversation goes,” he said in an exclusive interview with 90min.

Facundo Torres' career so far

Hailing from the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, Torres began his career in the youth ranks of Penarol, an academy that can boast recent graduates such as Darwin Nunez, Fede Valverde, Facundo Pellistri and Gaston Ramirez among others.

He ended up making 71 senior appearances for Penarol, netting 16 times and getting 15 assists in that time. It was that impressive record in Uruguay that led to Orlando City stumping up a club record $9m to sign him in January 2022.

The move forward certainly did not hinder Torres' progression as he has played 40 times for the Florida club, scoring 13 times and getting 10 assists so far. He has predominantly been playing on the left wing but has played some minutes in the number 10 role as well as on the right wing, showing he would be a great utility signing for many teams who operate with a three behind a lone striker.

Facundo Torres FIFA rating

Torres would still be a pretty shrewd pickup for anyone looking to get ahead of the curve on FIFA 23 as his overall rating is only 73. That being said, he has a potential rating of 81 which makes him a very solid option.

His work rate in attack appears to be his best asset, and his pace stat is 80 with 83 acceleration. Interestingly, his agility stat is 83 but his balance is just 64, meaning he could be an erratic dribbler on the game.

Ironically, Torres showed he has a good shot on him when he faced Arsenal in a pre-season friendly.

His first MLS goal also showed that he can arrive at the far post and head the ball with confidence, something that is not necessarily associated with Saka's game, giving Arsenal another option.

Having only missed four games through injury during his career, none of which were for Orlando City, he also doesn't seem to be an injury-prone player, lending him to being available when called upon by Mikel Arteta should Arsenal resurrect the move.