Why Sheffield United should sign Luca de la Torre on loan in January
Fulham had an ambitious transfer window, bringing in 12 new faces over the course of the summer as they look to stay in the Premier League after gaining promotion last campaign.
The list included the likes of Andre Schurrle, Jean Michael Seri, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Aleksandar Mitrovic as the Cottagers backed manager Slavisa Jokanovic unreservedly. However, the results so far haven’t been great for the club and Fulham decided to sack Slavisa Jokanovic earlier this month.
Claudio Ranieri is now the chief at Craven Cottage and with Fulham in the relegation zone, the Italian tactician has a mammoth task on his shoulders to achieve survival. And while Ranieri is likely to demand the board for financial backing in January, he needs to release some players as well – either permanently or on loan.
And one player the Fulham manager needs to send out on loan in January is 20-year-old Luca de la Torre.
Luca de la Torre joined Fulham in 2013 and has progressed through the youth ranks at Craven Cottage. The highly-rated midfielder made his first-team debut for the club in August 2016 in an EFL Cup game against Leyton Orient. However, he has not been able to get regular opportunities at Fulham and is yet to feature in the Premier League so far this season.
But Luca de la Torre dished out a Man of the Match performance in the Carabao Cup win over Millwall in September with a goal and two assists in Fulham’s 3-1 win. The 20-year-old will be eager to impress the new manager but looking at Ranieri’s options in the midfield, De la Torre getting a regular look in this season appears highly improbable.
Keeping that in mind, it would be best for the young midfielder to leave the Londoners on a short-term loan. And should he be made available on loan, Sheffield United must seriously make a move in January.
Sheffield United’s impressive form this season sees them occupy 5th spot on the Championship table. The Blades are in the hunt for promotion this season but Chris Wilder’s team need to perform consistently to stay in the reckoning for the play-off places.
Pump in a couple of reinforcements in the New Year and Sheffield United would have a solid squad to mount a realistic promotion challenge. And Luca de la Torre could be a massive addition for Wilder’s side.
De La Torre, a skilful midfielder, would bring more fluidity to United’s play in the final third. The 20-year-old American also has a keen eye for a pass and uses his vision and intelligence to pick out the runs of his teammates in the final third. He would add quality and depth to the squad, and would also bring competition for the ageing Mark Duffy.
Read more: Opinion: Sheffield United would surely get promoted if they sign one of these 3 strikers in January
All in all, De la Torre might just be the utility player that Sheffield United need to bring a new dimension to their midfield.