Why Tottenham must re-sign Fernando Llorente on a short-term deal

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t The Daily Mail), Napoli striker Fernando Llorente could make a shock return to Tottenham this month.

Fernando Llorente, 34, left Tottenham on a free transfer at the end of last season and joined Napoli. He has since made 15 appearances in Serie A, but only started three times.

Since Gennaro Gattuso took over from Carlo Ancelotti and moved their tactical system back to 4-3-3, the Spaniard has made just two appearances for six minutes each.

As far as Tottenham are concerned, they have lost star striker Harry Kane for three months to a ruptured hamstring injury. Tottenham have struggled to score in Kane’s absence and manager Jose Mourinho is looking for strikers. (h/t The Daily Mail)

Spurs are without a strong alternative in the number nine position and is having to make do with either Lucas or Son-Heung min in the time being. Having said that, should the North London outfit look to sign Llorente this month?

Without any second thoughts, Tottenham must sign Llorente. The Spaniard had a mixed time at Tottenham since he joined from Swansea City in the summer of 2017.

He never really challenged Kane for a starting berth under former manager Mauricio Pochettino’s regime. But the veteran striker proved a good backup option and slotted in for the injured Kane last season, helping Spurs to the Champions League final.

Llorente is clearly past his prime and approaching the end of his career, but he’ll still offer Tottenham an effective option as a target-man. It’s more than just the lack of other options that would make Llorente a success this time around though.

Mourinho requires his team to play a lot more direct in attack and that makes the presence of the former Spanish international upfront a much more valuable asset.

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The former Sevilla and Juventus star did show that he had the quality to make an impact for Tottenham last season. Due to his physical attributes and heading ability, he would offer Mourinho’s side an entirely different dimension in the final third.

Verdict

With Kane set to return before the end of the season, Mourinho will need someone as a stop-gap solution. Thus, bringing Llorente back for a short spell is a sensible idea.