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Diego Llorente shares what Victor Orta said to him to convince him to join Leeds
Leeds United defender Diego Llorente has shared how Whites sporting director Victor Orta convinced him to move to Elland Road.
The 27-year-old joined Leeds in a £20million deal from Real Sociedad in the summer.
Llorente has endured a tricky first season at Elland Road, not making his Whites debut until December due to an injury picked up on international duty.
The Spaniard then suffered two more injuries, but he’s been great since returning in late February, delivering superb displays against the likes of Southampton and Chelsea.
Llorente feels he is already improving under Marcelo Bielsa and admits the opportunity to work with the Argentine was a big part of the attraction of Leeds.
However, it was a meeting with Orta that ultimately convinced him to commit to the move.
“I started the season with Real Sociedad and I was focused on them, but I was also hearing about the possible offers that could arrive and could help me improve as a player,” he told .
“There were other offers before Leeds – last year as well – which were also interesting, but they didn’t totally appeal to me. The moment I met with Victor and he told me about the interest Leeds had in me, I didn’t have to think about it.
“He told me about the project, that it was secure and strong, and about the way the team played, how my characteristics as a player could help, what I could bring to Leeds, and also what Leeds could give me to help me grow as a player.
“When a player sees that, he doesn’t have to think twice. And the playing style is more or less similar to what I was used to in Spain, so that was another motive to come here.”
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Llorente may have had to bide his time for minutes at Leeds, but he’s done really well so far, starting the Whites’ last four Premier League games in a row and keeping two clean sheets.
He also spoke earlier this week how he turned his time on the sidelines into a positive experience as he familiarised himself with his new surroundings.
“I made a conscious effort because I couldn’t help the team on the field so what I wanted to do was really immerse myself in everything; what Leeds United means as a club and also as a city,” he told .
A great player on and off the pitch, it’s not taken him long to become a fan favourite at Elland Road.