Tottenham purchased their own Olivier Giroud
Whenever Arsenal are in serious trouble late in a match, they count on Olivier Giroud to come on the pitch to save them. Tottenham were clearly jealous of their rivals’ Plan B. Spurs’ acquisition of Swansea striker Fernando Llorente now gives manager Mauricio Pochettino the same sort of options at the striker position.
The towering Spaniard elected to snub Chelsea and cast his lot with Tottenham in a surprise Deadline Day move yesterday. Spurs paid the Swans a transfer fee of somewhere around £15 million for the 32-year-old centre forward.
The signing is a significant departure from Tottenham’s normal transfer blueprint. Llorente is considerably older and slower than the players Pochettino and company generally target. Many supporters were caught off guard with the club’s decision to make such an uncharacteristic signing.
I must confess that I was perplexed at first too. The club will never profit when they sell Llorente and his lack of foot speed make him a poor fit for Pochettino’s high press. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a smart signing though.
Pochettino doesn’t have many managerial weaknesses, but he has been accused of lacking a Plan B off the bench for most of his time at the club. For the most part, that criticism has been unfair. Much of Pochettino’s inability to change a match with substitutions has stemmed from his lack of credible options off the bench.
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The signing of Llorente will give Pochettino three senior strikers in the squad for the first time. Given the highly publicized struggles of Vincent Janssen, it seems obvious that the Spaniard will slot in as Harry Kane’s primary backup. His inclusion on the substitute’s bench will immediately give Pochettino a diverse option to play up front.
Just as Olivier Giroud plays a completely different style than Alexandre Lacazette to leave the Gunners line, so to does Llorente in comparison to Kane. The Englishman thrives on his clever movement, work rate and exceptional finishing ability. Llorente is at his best when he’s using his aerial prowess to dominate opponents. Playing one over the other will require opponents to completely change their defensive tactics.
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Now, Tottenham will have their own wild card off the bench to play at striker. Spurs fans can only hope that Fernando Llorente can save their club as many points as Olivier Giroud has saved Arsenal. If he does, he may prove to be the most valuable transfer of the summer. No matter what, Pochettino now has a true Plan B at his disposal.