Tottenham were slow to awaken in the transfer window, waiting nearly a week into the new season to announce Davinson Sanchez as their first signing. Paulo Gazzaniga, Juan Foyth, Serge Aurier, and Fernando Llorente have since followed, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s squad looking much healthier.
Llorente arrived late on Deadline Day. Daniel Levy must have conjured a wry smile at the thought of pinching him right from under Chelsea’s noses, even if he was unable to offset the £12million spent on the forward by selling Vincent Janssen to Brighton.
The pair will now compete for the not-particularly-glamorous but necessary role of ‘back-up to Harry Kane’. The Spanish international will be hoping to succeed where Janssen has failed, even if at 32, he won’t be a long-term solution.
This is not akin to Harry Redknapp signing Louis Saha and Ryan Nelson in 2012, however, as Tottenham seem to have thought this one through. Llorente was Swansea’s top scorer last season with 15 league goals and has a decent record in the Champions League.
He also offers a strong aerial presence and Pochettino is clearly trying to make his team ‘big’ with the likes of Sanchez, Victor Wanyama, and Toby Alderweireld posing a threat from set pieces.
The sight of balls being whipped into Llorente and him blasting them into the back of the net is a familiar one, but here lies the great pity about this deal. Spurs have been very effective in strengthening their defence, yet ticking away in the background has been the need to bring in one more option in attacking midfield.
It’s been a long time since they operated with an out-and-out winger like Aaron Lennon and while Christian Eriksen should link up well with their new frontman, he could be even deadlier if Spurs had more width.
The arrival of Aurier should counter that to some extent, with the Ivorian having recorded more assists in Ligue 1 than any other player since the 2012/13 season.
Riyad Mahrez would have been one possibility after being released by the Algerian FA to complete a transfer away from Leicester that never materialised. As a more central option, Ross Barkley had been monitored for some time, but he could not have come into the side immediately because of injury and turned down Chelsea at the 11th hour. It’s quite possible Spurs will go back in for the England international in January, when he’ll have just six months left on his Everton contract.
A close look at Llorente suggests he’s better on the ball – and indeed off it – than his stats regarding headed goals would hint at. If Spurs are to continue operating with a lone striker even in Kane’s absence, then it would benefit them to have a player like him who can hold play up well.
It was ultimately good fortune on Swansea’s part that he ended up in South Wales, as a disrupted season at Athletic Bilbao because of a contract dispute a few years back saw his stock decline a little in Europe. The former Juventus man has the work rate Pochettino demands of his players and after a start to the season which has seen Spurs look a little one-dimensional, he should be a solid addition.
