Fernando Llorente is reportedly on his way to Chelsea from Swansea City. All things being equal, the 32-year-old should be a Blues player before the end of business on Thursday. An uninspiring addition as it may seem, Llorente could just be that final piece of the jigsaw in Antonio Conte’s attack.
Cast your minds back to the opening weeks of the summer, fresh from claiming the Premier League, Chelsea was linked with almost every world-class act. Marco Verratti, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Alex Sandro, Romelu Lukaku - the list was tiring and endless. However, with transfer deadline in sight, the Blues find themselves frantically desperate to sign about anyone, by any means whatsoever. Fernando Llorente is one.
Indeed, Llorente isn’t the most popular choice amongst Chelsea fans. But that appears not to bother Conte who has been on the heels of the ex-Sevilla man for some time now. With Diego Costa obviously on his way out and Michy Batshuayi taking an eternity to find his feet, the £15m-rated forward will most likely provide the Italian with an option in attack. But what precisely should Blues’ fans expect to see from the player? Here’s a clue.
Different dimension in attack
Alvaro Morata has already shown to be a massive signing for the Blues judging by his contributions in his first three games. The Spaniard has hit the ground running immediately netting twice - both with his head - as well as lacing two assists in just two starts for Conte’s team.
Yet, it’s not been an entirely flawless display by the former Real Madrid forward in those games. Most glaring was his appalling hold and link-up play. The 24-year-old has been dispossessed eight times and produced a corresponding number of unsuccessful touches, with three of those coming against Tottenham.
Perhaps, the main reason Conte earnestly craves for Llorente. Not the fastest players around, the 32-year-old’s ability to keep possession gives him an edge over his countryman. He will be crucial in games where the Blues are in dire need of keeping the ball so as to regain some measure of control.
Goals, goals and more goals
Who signs a striker solely to keep possession? Even teams like Arsenal and Barcelona, known for holding on to possession, boost some of the deadliest finishers in world football. In Llorente, the Blues would get themselves a striker with a pedigree in front of goal. At less-fancied Swansea last season, he notched 15 goals - that’s just two short of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tally.
He scored important goals for Paul Clement’s side, notably against Liverpool at Anfield and in the dramatic 5-4 victory over Crystal Palace. Prior to his move to England, Llorente struck 85 times in 262 games for Atletic Bilbao and managed 23 in 66 for Juventus. He will certainly be a great option for Conte in situations where his team were struggling to break their opponents down.
Excellent player-coach bond
At least, there won’t be a repeat of the Costa vs Conte fiasco should Llorente arrive, owing to his strong relationship with the manager while at Juve. It was Conte who brought Llorente to Italy in 2013 and together the pair won everything on offer in the country.
One year after, he was joined in Turin by Morata. The younger Spaniard saw his compatriot as somewhat of a mentor during his early months at the club, and would no doubt relish the opportunity to team up with him again. The fact that these two have played together previously, therefore, allows Conte the option of playing two up front in a 3-5-2, something he is perhaps wary of given his distrust of Batshuayi.
