Arsenal are pretty strong upfront already, but they continue to pick up links to new strikers. Arsene Wenger has a reputation to maintain, after all.
The latest rumour, according to The Metro, concerns Juventus’s man-mountain, Fernando Llorente.
Llorente, or El Rey Leon (The Lion King) as he’s also known, started his professional career with Athletic Bilbao, where he slowly worked his way up through the various youth ranks before establishing himself as a first teamer. He was with Bilbao for nine years between 2004 and 2013. He made a total of 333 appearances and scored 118 goals.
This return may not sound all that impressive, but it’s worth noting that he did all of his developing with the La Liga side. In his first three seasons, he scored a total of 12 goals for the club. In his final four seasons, he scored 76 goals, which demonstrates that he was an improved player.
He’s particularly renowned for his performances during the 2011/12 season when he put Manchester United to the sword and managed to score 29 goals in 53 performances. Though it wouldn’t happen until 12 months later, it’s probably that season that earned him a move to Juventus.
Since that move, he’s done okay, but it’s fair to say he could be doing better. In 71 appearances for Juve, he’s found the back of the net 23 times. Perhaps he could re-find his scoring form in an Arsenal shirt?
Her certainly has all the qualities necessary to excel in the Premier League. For a start, he’s huge. He’s 6 foot 5 inches tall, so he’s difficult to nudge off the ball and he’ll win a lot in the air. He’s also good with his feet and he takes up smart positions. He’s not too dissimilar from Olivier Giroud.
The Metro fails to assert how much Juventus would want in return for his sale, but they do suggest that Arsenal are willing and ready to pay his £63k-a-week wages. Perhaps this deal is closer than we think?
What’s your take? Is Fernando Llorente still good enough for Arsenal? Can he re-find his goal-scoring boots?
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