Former Leeds footballer David Norris has revealed he expects the “big clubs” to keep track of Leeds’ Spanish centre-back Diego Llorente.
After Leeds successfully made their return to the Premier League last summer, Llorente was signed for £18 million from La Liga side Real Sociedad in September.
It was a slow start for Llorente in Yorkshire. Numerous injures kept him sidelined as he only played 91 minutes between September and the end of January, according to Transfermarkt.
However, since returning to fitness in the spring, Llorente has been in fantastic form, as Leeds climbed to an impressive 9th-place finish, going the distance in 11 of Leeds’ last 14 matches.
Norris, who spent three years at Leeds, believes it’s only a matter of time before the top clubs start taking note of his performances.
Speaking to Transfer Tavern, he said:
“Just looking at him in the second half of the season, he has done really well because conceding goals really was a big problem for Leeds.
“These big clubs are always looking for that big signing, and because Llorente has proven that he’s done it in the Premier League, they’ll be keeping tabs on him but at this stage, I think it would be too much of a gamble.”
TIF Thoughts on Diego Llorente’s future…
After arriving for a hefty fee from Spain, it could be argued that Llorente has already started to pay that fee back with some great performances. His goal against Liverpool in April showed another side to his game, that he can be a threat in the opposition box.
According to FBRef, he had an 85.4% pass completion rate last season – a stat that could potentially catch the eye, as Norris says, of some of the bigger clubs in England.
If he continues his performance level at Leeds, he could be an excellent piece of business for many sides at the top end of the Premier League.