Tottenham signed veteran striker Fernando Llorente last week.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (L) and Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham Hotspur swooped to land Fernando Llorente from Swansea City on deadline day just a week ago – and his move may give Mauricio Pochettino something that Arsenal have used regularly.
Spurs went into deadline day with three summer signings in the bag having snapped up Paulo Gazzaniga, Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez, but then added right back Serge Aurier and striker Fernando Llorente in a strong end to the window.
The signing of Llorente raised eyebrows; Tottenham’s approach on the pitch has been to play attractive football under Pochettino, whilst their strategy off the pitch has been focused around bringing in young players with real potential.
Llorente, who hit 15 goals for Swansea last season, comes in as a pure target man, a player with great strength and aerial ability to get on the end of crosses, whilst he is also 32 years of age, making him a surprise signing for Spurs given his advancing years.
Llorente’s role is likely to be as a super sub, coming off the bench to support Harry Kane whilst giving Spurs a direct option to hit late in games where they need to chase goals – and his role may well be similar to Olivier Giroud’s situation at Arsenal.
Giroud has been forced to serve as a super sub for Arsenal for more than a year now, and his recent winner in the 4-3 victory over Leicester City was his seventh goal as a substitute since the start of the 2016/17 season – by far the most of any Premier League player, with Llorente on three.
Llorente came on as a substitute for Swansea just five times last season though, making his return impressive, and he now offers Tottenham similar attributes to Giroud; predatory instincts, aerial dominance and a physical presence for tired defenders to deal with late in games.
Whilst Giroud may not be happy with his super sub role, his situation as an impact player off the bench has worked perfectly for Arsenal – and Tottenham may well hope that veteran Llorente can offer a similar option when they pursue late goals this season and beyond.
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