According to various media outlets, Arsenal are keeping close tabs on young Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente. The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Alaves and is tipped by many for future stardom.
Arsene Wenger is known to be a big fan of the player and would really like to have him at the Emirates. Reports say that Arsenal just might be able to tempt the player with a bumper contract but Real have other plans for their player. Zidane wants the talented youngster to return Bernabeu and fight for his place, competing against Casemiro.
The Brazilian is currently out of action after fracturing his left leg and Casemiro’s injury woes have further fueled speculations that Llorente could be returning to the Bernabeu as cover.
Llorente has also expressed his desire to cut short his loan stint and return to Madrid. But, he is very unlikely to get regular first team chance with stars like Modric, Kovacic, Lucas Silva and Tony Kroos in the pecking order ahead of him. And, Arsenal have always been known for handing big chances to youngsters, which is evident from Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, and Carlos Vela’s Champions League debuts at such a young age.
Llorente has been appreciated for his tackling and ball intercepting qualities and his sublime passing has attracted many top clubs. Although he has not scored any goals this season, he has created nine chances and provided one assist this season in 11 appearances. Llorente has completed 530 passes with a pass accuracy of 89%, of which 65% were forward passes, according to Squawka.
The fact that he wins 51% of his average duels with such passing accuracy shows how great a player he could be if nurtured properly and who else can do it better than Wenger?
However, it won’t be easy for Llorente to get into Arsenal’s first team either, with the likes of Santiago Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin all in the contention. Wenger is spoilt for choice in his midfield and is yet to find a perfect partnership who can complement each other. He frequently rotates players in that position.
Although Llorente’s inclusion is very much welcome in the Gunners lineup, he will have a long list of competitors to beat before getting to the fore. Llorente’s deal seems very much like a long-term plan. However, the fact that Madrid have a transfer ban could very well mean that they will be hesitant in letting players go who can challenge the first team without having able replacements.
