Arsene Wenger has a knack for surprising people with his transfer dealings. He’s prone to bringing in players who you’ve never heard of in areas that you didn’t think needed any strengthening. Even when he brings in big name signings (Mesut Ozil for instance) they tend to catch people off guard. After all, The Professor usually signs players he wants, rather than players that he needs.
This may explain why The Gunners continue to pick up links to strikers in the (long) run up to the summer transfer window. Arsenal can currently call upon plenty of forwards. Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott are three players who are used to playing football at the very top level. Then there’s Alexis Sanchez who is capable of anything.
I suppose that we shouldn’t forget about Arsenal’s loanees either. Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell are all currently enjoying their football elsewhere.
As a result, Arsenal’s links to Juventus’s giant striker, Fernando Llorente, seem to have arrived somewhat out of the blue. The rumours come courtesy of The Metro, who suggest that Arsene Wenger is looking to bolster his attacking line-up, whilst also noting that the Spanish striker is ‘high on his wish list’.
Llorente has had a funny old career. Back in 2011/12, he was widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world. There was one game back in that season where he absolutely terrorised Manchester United’s defense. In total, he scored 29 goals in 53 games.
Since moving to Juventus two summers ago, he’s struggled. In 71 games, he’s only managed to find the back of the net 23 times. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were on the hunt for a new club in an attempt to try and re-ignite his career.
According to the aforementioned source, he could become an Arsenal player for £16m. That’s a lot of money, but it could prove to be good value if he ends up re-capturing his old form. Let’s assume that Arsene Wenger knows best with this one.
What’s your take? Is Fernando Llorente right for Arsenal?
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