Diego Llorente might have been delighted to have joined Roma on a loan-to-buy deal from Leeds in January, but it is not going to plan after his third outing on Sunday – in which he came off the bench at half-time, only to be subbed off.
Llorente, 29, joined Roma in January after struggling to break into the Leeds side during the first half of the season. The move saw him rejoin the iconic manager that give him his professional debut at Real Madrid, namely – Jose Mourinho.
But since his move, Llorente has been afforded even less game time than he got at Leeds. Just outings – one from the start and two from the bench. His first, a last-minute introduction during a 2-0 win over Empoli. The second, a start.
Earning a place in the back three against his old side Real Sociedad in the Europa League, Llorente was forced off early through injury. On Sunday, he came on at half-time during Roma’s 1-0 loss to Lazio – with Roger Ibanez shown a red.
The scoreline remained 0-0 in the Derby Delle Capitale, as Llorente replaced Paulo Dybala. But, with Lazio having taken the lead, Roma needed to go on the attack. Off came Llorente for Stephane El Shaarawy, 33 minutes after coming on.
Llorente loan not going to plan as Leeds man subbed off, after coming on
The issue for Llorente now, is he is in limbo. Leeds do not need Llorente – even though the club offered him a new deal. Now, the decision to hand him that contract is perhaps seen more as protecting an asset, rather than a reward.
Robin Koch is the club’s best right-footed central defender and Max Wober, on the left. Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk are cover for Wober, while Luke Ayling and Rasmus Kristensen can play in the middle. There are young options, too.
Charlie Cresswell remains on the books, with the defender on loan at Millwall. Kris Moore and Diogo Monteiro starring in the 21’s. So, Leeds have options, and Llorente is failing to take advantage of his Roma loan. Who knows, what’s next.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
