Should Tottenham Hotspur rival West Ham United for the former Southampton star?
Fernando Llorente was absolutely slated by Tottenham Hotspur fans across social media this past weekend for his performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Newport County.
Llorente looked completely off the pace alongside Harry Kane in Spurs’ two-pronged attack at Rodney Parade, and the Spanish striker, a £12 million recruit from Swansea in the summer, has never looked a worse signing.
In addition to their pursuit of Lucas Moura, Tottenham could and probably should be using the last few days of the transfer window to sign an upgrade on the former Juventus hitman and maybe, just maybe, a move for West Ham United-linked Graziano Pelle isn’t the worst idea.
According to Sky Sports, West Ham are in talks with the former Southampton striker, who bagged 23 Premier League goals in 68 games for the Saints.
It’s not an outstanding record, but Tottenham don’t need another outstanding striker. They need somebody a lot better than Llorente, and Pelle might just be better equipped to succeed in North London.
Southampton, under Ronald Koeman, were far more comparable to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham and therefore you wonder if the 32-year-old has a big advantage over Llorente in the sense that he is a proven goalscorer under a similar style.
They are both towering number nines but, crucially, Pelle is a very decent finisher and, like Kane, the Italy international is capable of scoring many different types of goals, whereas the bulk of Llorente’s 15-goal haul for Swansea were comprised mainly of headers and point-blank tap-ins.
Pelle is the more complete centre-forward, boasting more strings to his bow and if he is willing to swap Chinese football for another Premier League spell then the Lilywhites should certainly challenge West Ham.
Wages could be an issue, but if West Ham, who already have their share of big earners on the payroll, can afford to satisfy his salary request then Tottenham might also be in a position to do so.
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