Fernando Llorente: My season at Swansea City was one of the best of my career – I hope Snoop Dogg helps them back to the Premier League
The Spanish striker joined Swansea ahead of the 2016/17 Premier League season and went on to score 15 goals in 33 appearances, helping the club survive a remarkable great escape after being bottom of the table at one stage.
Speaking to Hajper, Llorente described his debut campaign in English football as a rollercoaster — but one he looks back on with enormous affection.
“One of the best years of my career,” he said. “Wonderful memories, first because it was my debut season in the Premier League and I played as a starter, many games, being important and decisive.”
The season was far from straightforward, however. Swansea went through three managers — Francesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley, and Paul Clement — and Llorente himself suffered a fractured rib in a clash with Virgil van Dijk early in the campaign.
“It was also very difficult because we had three coaches,” he said. “Francesco Guidolin signed me. It didn’t go well at the beginning… Then I got injured and missed about a month.”
But the second half of the season proved transformative. Clement steadied the ship and the Swans pulled off one of the great survivals, winning four of their last five games to finish 15th.
“We finished the season flying,” said Llorente. “In the second half of the season we played at an incredible level, from being bottom and everyone writing us off, we ended up 12th or 13th. Incredible.”
Llorente also paid tribute to the Jack Army, contrasting the warmth of Swansea’s supporters with the reaction he might have expected back home in Spain.
“I was very surprised by how the fans treated us when we were practically relegated — with so much love and support, no shouting, no bad words. In Spain if you’re in that situation they kill you. So you see two different cultures.”
The striker left the following summer, joining Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that came together at the last moment after interest from Chelsea fell through.
“In the summer I had offers from Chelsea — Antonio Conte, who I had played with at Juventus — but at the last moment Tottenham came in and, because Chelsea and Swansea couldn’t agree, I went to Tottenham. It’s a shame I only stayed one year.”
Now, with Swansea in the Championship and rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg among the club’s new investors, Llorente says he is keeping a close eye on developments at the Liberty Stadium.
“I hope so. For the club and the city it would be incredible. I hope they return to the Premier League,” he said. “I haven’t been back since I left and I’d love to. It’s a place where I felt very loved. I hope Snoop Dogg helps them build a great team and great group so they can get promoted.”
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Fernando Llorente’s quotes courtesy of Hajper.
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