‘FERNANDO II, ‘KING’ OF NAPLES’ reads a Marca headline on Monday, echoing a sentiment seen elsewhere in the Spanish and Italian media over the past few days.
Tottenham Hotspur let Fernando Llorente leave on a free transfer in the summer, and it took a while for him to find a new home.
There were even rumours Mauricio Pochettino could welcome him back into the Spurs squad as support for Harry Kane, yet that seemed an unlikely prospect. Llorente would likely have looked positively at the chance to remain at Spurs, yet if the club had felt the same then they’d have made a move before his contract expired.
The chance of a return to Athletic Club Bilbao never really got off the ground, and links with others, such as Manchester United, didn’t seem to have a great deal behind them.
Despite having no real pre-season, the Spaniard has three goal in three appearances, totalling just 133 minutes.
Ahead of last week’s Champions League match against Liverpool, Llorente hinted he’d be looking to get some revenge after the Reds beat Tottenham in the Champions League final a few months earlier.
He managed that, scoring the second Napoli goal in injury time.
Marca point out he’s been involved in five goals since signing for the Naples club earlier this month.
Not bad for a player released by Tottenham, who there certainly wasn’t a competitive scramble for during the summer.