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Surprising transfer target may not actually be a bad idea for West Ham moving forward – Opinion

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Apparently, and maybe quite surprisingly, Fernando Llorente is the latest striker in a long old list to have been linked with a move to West Ham United this summer.

According to insider ExWHUemployee on Twitter, the Spaniard’s situation is currently being monitored by the club as a possible option for them to explore, however, nothing more has been said about it at this moment in time.

The Tottenham Hotspur man will be a free agent this summer as his contract in north London comes to an end, and – although we know this opinion might be a little unpopular and, perhaps, ludicrous for some to comprehend – we think he could be a great addition for us on a short-term basis.

Obviously, he would be a signing that appears to be going against the fresh transfer policy that Manuel Pellegrini and Mario Husillos have in trying to sign young and hungry talents with sell-on values, with the addition of Pablo Fornals and the continued links for Maxi Gomez and Ozan Kabak to mention just a few of the men we are thought to be interested in this summer.

However, a man of Llorente’s experience could still benefit us for a campaign or two.

We need a player that can be utilised as a target man this season, especially in the system that the manager likes to adopt. With Andy Carroll having left, we do not necessarily have a forward in the squad that can hold the ball up and bring the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals into play when we are on the attack – he won an average of 3.1 aerial duels last season across all competitions for Spurs (WhoScored) and made himself a nuisance in their Champions League semi-final against Ajax; compare that to Marko Arnautovic’s 0.8 average (WhoScored) and it is easy to see why he could be a useful addition.

Yes, being 34-years-old does not make him an attractive option and is something we have been working hard to get away from, however, as he is available on a free transfer, it should be something that we seriously consider moving forward. A transfer fee will not have to be spent on him whilst we could be in a position to negotiate his wage demands if he were keen on remaining in the capital.

Clearly, he is not the prolific forward that we are in desperate need of, hence the links with Gomez, however, Llorente can offer us the additional outlet that a goalscorer needs with his hold-up play and provide us with a solid target to aim for in the box.

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