Leeds United have completed the big signing of Diego Llorente from Real Sociedad for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £18m. The 27-year-old Spaniard is a former Real Madrid player, having made the move from the Bernabeu in 2017.
As per Sky Sports, a fee was agreed between the two clubs for the Spanish international yesterday. He joins compatriot Rodrigo in switching from La Liga to the Whites this summer.
Diego Llorente came through the ranks at Real Madrid, playing for Real Madrid C and B teams, before appearing twice for the senior team. He is also a Spanish international, having played 5 times for his country since his debut in 2016.
Diego Llorente: Final piece of the jigsaw?
Leeds United have been very active in the transfer window, signing important players for various positions following their promotion to the Premier League. The Whites desperately needed to sign a centre-back as two of last year’s options at the back – Ben White and Gaetano Berardi could not be tied down at the club leading to a major headache for the manager. The former returned to his parent club, while the latter suffered a long-term injury.
The Whites had already signed one centre-back in this transfer window, Robin Koch, who joined the club from Freiburg. His signing meant that Leeds had two first-team centre-backs in Koch and captain Liam Cooper, while youngster Pascal Struijk is another option at the back, although he lacks experience.
The signing of Diego Llorente was much needed for the Whites, who were thin at the back, both in terms of numbers and quality, given the leap in the level of competition following the promotion. The opening two fixtures have also highlighted their woes which might just have sped up the process of acquiring another defender.
Llorente is a defender who is superb in the air, averaging 2.4 successful aerial duels per game in the 2019-20 La Liga season. The Spaniard has the ability to place himself in good positions on the pitch, and although he is not a fan of going into a lot of tackles, he makes up for it with his intelligence and preemptive notion.
Diego Llorente is also a very good passer from the back, which is a trait that Bielsa looks for in all his players, be it attackers, midfielders or defenders. The Spaniard could become the first-choice centre-back alongside captain Liam Cooper at the back and will be a key player for the Whites this season. With his signing, Bielsa has quality options across the pitch and his team should be ready for a strong season.