Why Fernando Llorente can be a useful short-term fix for Everton
According to claims from Italian journalist Ciro Venerato (h/t Daily Express), Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is weighing up a reunion with Napoli striker Fernando Llorente.
As well as the Toffees, Premier League rivals West Ham have also been mentioned as potential suitors for the 35-year-old, who only joined Napoli from Tottenham last summer. (h/t Express)
It has been claimed that Ancelotti is on the lookout for an experienced back-up striker before the summer window slams shut in October, with Llorente identified as a target.
Profile
Fernando Llorente shot to prominence with his boyhood club Athletic Bilbao and eventually established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in the La Liga earlier in his career.
The former Spanish international plundered an impressive 111 goals and 36 assists in 327 appearances for the Basque outfit before departing for Juventus in 2013, where he won three Serie A titles and also played in a Champions League final.
Llorente enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Premier League with Swansea City, scoring 15 times during the 2016-17 campaign, which paved the way for a move to Tottenham. The 35-year-old was largely used as a back-up to Harry Kane in North London, but he still managed decent returns of 13 goals in 66 outings.
The towering hitman continued to be used in a super-sub role at Napoli following his return to Italy last summer, scoring 4 goals in 24 appearances during the 2019-20 season.
Llorente would add valuable experience to Everton’s attack
Ancelotti predominantly played with two strikers up top as a part of his preferred 4-4-2 formation last season, pairing a target man like Dominic Calvert-Lewin with a more mobile forward in Richarlison. Calvert-Lewin assumed the central striking role with Richarlison on the left-wing when the Italian switched to a more dynamic 4-2-3-1 system in several games following the restart.
Both the aforementioned players shouldered the bulk of Everton’s goalscoring workload in the previous campaign, chipping in with 13 goals apiece in the Premier League. The Toffees, though, seemed to lack an effective back-up option to reduce the workload on a young striker like Calvert-Lewin.
Moise Kean remains an exciting prospect, but he scored just twice in 29 league appearances last term, starting just 6 times in the process. However, the most striking element currently missing from Everton’s forward line is experience at the highest level.
That’s exactly the reason why the arrival of Fernando Llorente would be a shrewd piece of business for the Toffees. There might be concerns over his age, but it’s worth reminding that Everton only need to look at Llorente as a back-up option who would reduce the workload on Calvert-Lewin by starting in the domestic cup games.
The 35-year-old has considerable experience in the Premier League with Tottenham and Swansea. He would represents a proven and experienced option to add another dimension to a youthful forward line at Goodison Park. Moreover, Llorente is a serial winner who would add that much-needed winning mentality to Ancelotti’s squad.
Read more
- Why Everton offering Michael Keane a new deal is a sensible decision
- Why Everton must send Moise Kean back to Italy on loan
Verdict
Everton have already shown plenty of intent in the summer market with big-money deals for Allan, Abdoulaye Doucore and James Rodriguez to restructure their midfield and creative lines.
It’s time now for the Toffees to look for players who would offer good value for money and Fernando Llorente certainly ticks plenty of boxes to improve the club’s attacking resources.
