Tottenham released Fernando Llorente after his contract expired over the summer and tried to resign the 34-year-old on a reduced deal. The Lilywhites failed in their attempot to bring Llorente back to London, however, and Gazette dello Sport (h/t Sport Witness) have revealed why.
Spurs offering Llorente on a considerably reduced contract was one problem, but his squad role in 2019/20 was the other issue. The Spanish international would have been required to play second fiddle to Harry Kane and Troy Parrott, so his playing time would have been minimal.
Llorente was already short of minutes during his two years at Tottenham, but the added competition from Parrott would have taken away from more opportunities. And when Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti & Director of Football Cristiano Giuntoli made contact, Llorente jumped at the chance.
He was promised more opportunities in Italy and would have fit the system at Napoli much more than at Tottenham. Llorente is thriving at the Stadio San Paolo this season, scoring and creating four goals in as many games, so Spurs may be regretting letting him go – Mauricio Pochettino has been left with Harry Kane as the only natural centre-forward in the squad.