Arsenal could boost title hopes with Fernando Llorente addition

Fernando Llorente of Juventus. (Getty Images)

Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for out-of-favour Juventus striker Fernando Llorente to bolster their ranks which contains just one fit senior striker in Olivier Giroud, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Spaniard has found it difficult to break into the first-team at the Old Lady, often overlooked in favour of Argentine forward Carlos Tevez.

But with a World Cup looming on the horizon, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger could be prepared to offer Llorente a lifeline in form of a six-month loan deal once the January transfer window opens.

It would also represent smart business by Arsenal, considering that they have just one recognised first-team striker in France international Giroud and would allow them to pursue a move once more for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez in the summer.

Wenger is also thought to be seeking another marquee signing to provide a boost to their title hopes, much like the deadline day signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid has done for the Gunners’ early season form.

Arsenal currently lead the Premier League table after seven games and Wenger is keen to maintain the form that saw them rise up the table quickly after an opening day defeat to Aston Villa.

Llorente may have just scored once for Juventus this season but possesses a fine track record from his time at Athletic Bilbao where he spearheaded the Marco Bielsa side that famously defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford.

His statistics from this season, from what little has been gathered, is promising and suggests that the giant striker would be an excellent alternative to Giroud as the lone striker.

A superb 86 per cent shot accuracy shows that Llorente knows where the net is, a fact backed by a goalscoring record of 118 goals in 333 games for Bilbao.

But on the other hand, “The Lion King” will have to improve his build-up play in order to fit in the Arsenal side, having recorded a very poor 59 per cent pass accuracy rate so far.

Llorente fares better in headed duels, achieving a 60 per cent success rate, highlighting his aerial superiority which could be a huge boon to Arsenal’s attack.

With the out-of-favour Nicklas Bendtner and the raw Yaya Sanogo acting as backups for Giroud, Arsene Wenger would be well advised to seal a move for a striker in the January transfer window.

Considering the lack of available targets, it could prove to be a very astute move by the Gunners if they were to pursue a loan deal for Llorente, who will be eager to get back into the Spain squad ahead of Brazil 2014.

Football graphics and stats from Squawka.