West Ham Opinion: Signing Fernando Llorente would be a massive step backwards for the Hammers
According to the Daily Star, West Ham are weighing up a shock swoop for Spurs hitman Fernando Lorente in the summer transfer window, with reports claiming that the Hammers are keen to add at least another centre-forward to their ranks.
Daily Star understands that West Ham are focussing on bringing in £44 million-rated striker Maxi Gomez from Celta Vigo, although it has been claimed that the player favours a move to Valencia.
As the story goes, the Hammers have identified Llorente as a suitable back-up option should they fail to complete a deal for Gomez before the transfer deadline. The Spaniard is out-of-contract at Spurs towards the end of the month and his imminent availability on a free transfer seems to have put the East Londoners on red alert.
Llorente chipped in with 8 goals and 5 assists in 35 appearances for Spurs in all competitions this past season, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side finished runners-up to Liverpool in the Champions League and secured a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old played his role perfectly as an understudy to Harry Kane but his exploits were apparently not enough for the Lilywhites to trigger a 12-month extension in his contract.
Meanwhile, West Ham are in the market for a new striker following the sale of Lucas Perez to Alaves and the release of Andy Carroll. Javier Hernandez has also been widely tipped to seal an exit from the London Stadium this summer and it is believed that the Hammers would let him depart should any club come up with a good enough offer.
Recent reports from The Sun suggest that Valencia are lining up an £8 million bid for the Mexican international this summer.
In all honesty, it seems just a matter of time before West Ham have Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio as the only remaining striking options at the club. Hence, it is a no-brainer that the Hammers need to bring in a prolific hitman this summer if they are really serious about challenging for a European spot next season.
Arnautovic teased the fans with moments of brilliance last season but he reminded one and all that his health can never be trusted, with the Austrian suffering multiple injury setbacks over the course of the previous campaign.
Antonio, on the other hand, proved his worth as a utility player up front but an erratic and inconsistent striker is not what the Hammers need to challenge for bigger things next term.
To put things into perspective, Manuel Pellegrini desperately needs to bring in a top-quality striker this summer as a part of his squad overhaul but the Hammers’ links with Fernando Llorente hardly make any sense.
Agreed, he would be available for free and could possibly be a cheap alternative to Maxi Gomez but West Ham would be making a grave mistake if they are looking at him as their first-choice striker next season.
Frankly speaking, West Ham’s ploy of bringing in aged players in recent times hasn’t paid dividends, as evident from the performances of Andriy Yarmolenko, Samir Nasri, Carlos Sanchez, Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez, and the Hammers would once again be making the same mistake by signing Llorente.
Yes, Llorente was one of the best strikers in Europe in his prime but he is now 34 and there’s not a lot of gas left in his tank. As a matter of fact, West Ham are making an attempt to reduce the average age of their squad by getting some aged players off their books and the acquisition of Llorente would be a massive step backwards in that regard.
The Hammers’ links with Llorente would probably make the fans wonder whether Pellegrini is making a mistake by letting Carroll leave for free. Llorente, at best, could be a like-for-like replacement for the Englishman, given that both are physically-dominating target-man sort of strikers, but the 34-year-old is very much in his twilight and hardly fits the bill of a prolific centre-forward.
Having made a strong start to the summer with the signing of playmaker Pablo Fornals from Villarreal, one would expect the Hammers to show a lot more ambition in the weeks to come.
However, the club’s links with Llorente is unlikely to receive a warm round of applause from the fans and they should be happy to let such rumours pass by silently, without a move actually materializing.
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Even if West Ham fall short in their pursuit of Maxi Gomez, they should look at some young and talented strikers in the market as a potential alternative. Having said that, they should drop their interest in Fernando Llorente at the earliest.
