Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham Hotspur striker Fernando Llorente is a great professional.
Mauricio Pochettino has praised Tottenham Hotspur’s deadline day signing Fernando Llorente as a “great professional”.
The 32-year-old joined Spurs on the transfer deadline day from Swansea City, for a fee of around £12.1 million.
The Spanish striker enjoyed a brilliant 2016/17 campaign for Swansea, scoring 15 goals in the Premier League.
With Vincent Janssen failing to make a strong impression, Pochettino hopes that Llorente can replicate his last season’s goal tally, to ease the burden on Harry Kane.
The Argentine has described him as a “world champion”, and has said that he will bring his wealth of experience to the side.
“Of course Llorente, first of all he’s a great professional,” said Pochettino, as quoted by The Mirror.
“He’s a world champion – he won the World Cup with Spain – and that is the mentality that can translate to us with the experience of winning big things.
“He’s very professional. You know very well that he scored 15 goals for Swansea last season.
“I think his characteristics can fit very well with the team.”
Tottenham usually have a policy of signing young players and developing them into superstars. However, Llorente’s signing, in a way, breaks that tradition.
Pochettino, reflecting on the move, said that the club couldn’t pass on the opportunity to sign a player of his calibre.
Llorente is a World Cup winner with Spain, and Pochettino hopes that he will bring that winning mentality to the side.
“I think it’s important, it’s not easy to have the facility to sign players like Llorente.
“It was an amazing chance for us and I think he decided to sign for us, I think it’s fantastic because he will bring very good experience and then that culture, to compete – because competing is different to playing, and winning is different to trying to win.
“He can translate that feeling that is so important for our squad.”
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