Having seen Alberto Paloschi and Eder depart the Liberty Stadium this summer, and with Bafetimbi Gomis joining Marseille on a season-long loan, Swansea went some way to bolstering their striking options last week with the signing of Sevilla forward Fernando Llorente for an undisclosed fee.
The 31-year-old penned a two-year deal with the Swans, and has revealed he hopes the move will boost his chances of earning an international recall:
“This team wanted me a lot and I want to be here. I want to play in the Premier League and know the Premier League… I would like to get back into the national side and I know that I will need to play well for Swansea all season if I want to do that. I would like to return to play for Spain, it would be a very special thing for me.”
The History
At the age of 11, Llorente joined the Athletic Bilbao youth set-up, and gradually progressed through the ranks at the club.
He spent the 2003/04 season with CD Basconia, a feeder club of Athletic Bilbao, and scored 12 goals in 33 matches. Llorente progressed to Bilbao Athletic, the club’s reserve side, the following year, where he continued to impress by scoring four times in 16 outings.
In January 2005, Llorente was handed La Liga debut for Athletic in a 1-1 draw against Espanyol, and he would go on to make 15 league appearances in 2004/05, scoring three goals.
Llorente gradually established himself as a regular starter for Athletic, with his most prolific season for the club coming in 2010/11, where he scored 18 goals in 38 league matches. In total, he made 327 appearances for Athletic in all competitions, scoring 111 goals and registering 36 assists.
Following the expiration of his contract in July 2013, Llorente joined Italian side Juventus. His first season in Turin was relatively prolific, totalling 16 goals and five assists in 34 league matches as The Old Lady secured another Serie A title.
He would only score seven goals and add one assist in 31 matches the following season, and with Juve deciding not to renew his contract, Llorente moved back to Spain last summer to join Sevilla.
Despite Sevilla wining the Europa League, it would prove to be an unsuccessful season on a personal level for Llorente, who struggled for pitch time mainly due to the form of Kevin Gameiro. He ended the campaign with four goals and as many assists from 23 league appearances, while he also netted three times in seven European matches.
Prolific for Spain at Under 17, Under 20 and Under 21 levels, scoring 12 goals in 16 matches, Llorente made his senior debut against Chile in November 2008. He was a member of the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 winning squads, and has notched seven goals in 24 international appearances, although he hasn’t represented his country since November 2013.
The Prospects
With Andre Ayew also leaving the Liberty over the last few days, it’s fair to say that the Swans desperately need to replenish their options in the final third.
Handed a 58-minute debut against Stade Rennais at the weekend, Llorente looks in line to be afforded the lone striker role for the Swans’ trip to Burnley this weekend.
Although the new boy could also retain a starting berth for the Gameweek 2 home encounter against Hull, the expected arrival of fellow Spaniard Borja Baston is likely to place major question marks over his pitch time, given that Francesco Guidolin generally prefers a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, although he did also use a 4-1-2-1-2 midfield diamond on occasion last season.
During pre-season, the Italian mainly utilised a 4-3-3, so Llorente could be flanked by Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer in attack, with Modou Barrow and Jefferson Montero other options in the wide positions.
Gylfi Sigurdsson didn’t feature on Saturday, having only recently returned to training following his Euro 2016 exertions, but the Iceland international will be a sure starter throughout the campaign, either in his familiar number ten role, or as part of a three-man midfield, operating as the most attack-minded player of the trio.
Llorente has been handed a 6.5 price tag in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), which, given his pedigree, appears pretty enticing. Nonetheless, having failed to earn a regular starting role over the past two seasons, there are concerns he may be on the down slope in terms of career trajectory and there’d be no real surprise if he ends up as a back-up option if Baston arrives.
The presence of Sigurdsson also casts a shadow over Llorente’s appeal. The Icelander has served up 154 and 158 points over the last two campaigns, and while the former Tottenham midfielder is more expensive at 7.5 in FPL, with dead-ball duties and spot-kicks in his favour, it’s difficult to overlook him as the most enticing route into the Swans’ attack over 2016/17.
Sigurdsson’s initial fitness concerns, and the fact Llorente is also lacking sharpness and may soon face competition from Baston for the lone striker role, may persuade Fantasy managers to look elsewhere for the time being until things begin to settle down at the Liberty.
Certainly, Swansea’s brutal schedule from Gameweek 3-8 (lei, CHE, sot, MCI, LIV, ars) suggests that early investment might struggle to pay off.
With a number of more secure options at a similar price point for our three-man frontlines and the arrival of Baston – who notched 18 goals in La Liga last season – set to place question marks over his role in Guidolin’s XI over the season, Llorente faces a tough task to remain in consideration as the campaign unfolds.
