Remember a couple of seasons ago, when Manchester United played Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League and Fernando Llorente was all the rage?
That same season can probably be described as the best of his career. He was a permanent fixture in the Bilbao side and scored a fantastic 29 goals in 53 games.
But it was his all round game that stood out the most. The man has a colossal physical presence. He’s 6 foot 5 inches tall, stocky and powerful. These features make him strong in the air and difficult to get the ball off of. Defenders tend to bounce off of him and the ball seems to stick to him.
His touch and control is pretty good and he links up well with midfielders. This means that even when he isn’t scoring, he’s still effective.
Since that season – the 2011/12 season – Llorente’s luck has began to dwindle. Last year, Bilbao were well aware that he’d leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season. As a result, they provided him with limited opportunities and he never really found any form (in the end, he only scored 5 goals in 36 games).
This year hasn’t gone much better. He’s moved to Juventus, where he’s behind Carlos Tevez in the pecking order. He’s thus far only made 2 appearances for the Serie A side.
As a result, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him move on again in the next 12 months. This possibility has brought Arsenal into the picture, who happen to be a club in desperate need of a striker.
Indeed, The Star claim that the Gunners are ‘the most determined to snap up the Juventus star’ and that Arsene Wenger is ‘known to be a big fan’.
At this stage, this looks like a deal that would make sense for all parties. Having signed a player on a free, Juventus would make a tidy profit on the talented Spaniard. The player in question would get a shot at a club who would be able to provide ample opportunities. Arsenal, on the other hand, would get a top player in a position they desperately need to fill.
That looks like wins all round to me. Let’s see if Arsene Wenger can pull this one off.
What’s your take? Should the Gunners move in for Fernando Llorente?
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