Lucas Torreira's agent says the midfielder could have joined Napoli instead of Arsenal if Carlo Ancelotti had been appointed manager of the Italian club sooner.
Napoli had been in talks with Sampdoria about a move for Torreira but uncertainty over the position of then-coach Maurizio Sarri, who eventually took over at Chelsea, helped Arsenal seal a deal for the Uruguayan instead.
The player's agent, Pablo Bentancur, told Radio Crc that he would have loved for his client to work under Ancelotti.
"It's a pity, I'm sorry Ancelotti wasn't there at the start of the negotiation," Bentancur said. "He'd have been a great help for Torreira, he has tremendous international experience. But then Lucas called me and he confirmed to me that negotiations with Arsenal were too advanced for any second thoughts.
"If the Arsenal deal had collapsed then Napoli would have been perfect."
Bentancur also insisted that Torreira is happy at Arsenal, even though he has yet to start a game under Unai Emery.
"He's adapting well to the Premier League, he's settling well and he's happy," Bentancur said.