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With the January transfer window closing on Monday, a new saga has emerged involving Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Chelsea. On Friday, a bomb shell of a transfer news emerged with Chelsea tabling a £35 million offer which was rejected by the Merseyside club who refused to part ways with their talisman at any cost. Following the failed raid by Chelsea, Torres created a furore by expressing his desire to join Chelsea, a request which his club has rejected. With the saga dominating headlines, we look at the two sides of the story.
THE CHELSEA-TORRES LOVE AFFAIR
Chelsea have been trying to lure Torres to Stamford Bridge right from the Spaniard’s first year at Liverpool. The Blues saw their summer bid to buy the striker fail to succeed. Lying 4th in the Premier League table and 10 points off leaders Manchester United, Chelsea face an uphill task in defending their crown. Chelsea’s problems have been plenty as the aging squad’s defensive frailties, the absence of Frank Lampard and the failings of their misfiring strikers have hit the champion’s hard. With the Champions League just around the corner and the Premier League going into the business half of the season, Carlo Ancelotti knows that his team have to come up with an impressive run of victories to challenge for honours. Thus arrives his logic of bidding for established stars like David Luiz, Sergio Aguero and Torres instead of giving his youngsters like Daniel Sturridge, Josh McEachran and Gael Kakuta, whom he tipped to succeed veterans Carvalho, Belletti, Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole who departed in the summer, a chance. With talks breaking down with Benfica over Luiz and Atletico Madrid rejecting the Blues’ bid outright, Liverpool are the latest to snub Chelsea’s ambitious advances.
THE LIVERPOOL STORY
Liverpool’s fall from grace has been well documented and even a half-hearted follower of the Premier League will know that it has something to do with Torres’ poor form. Spending most of last season injured, barely making it to the World Cup and watching his country win the world’s greatest honour from the fringes along with playing in a wretched tactical set up under Roy Hodgson have not done the striker any good in helping him rediscover his form.
Holding on to Fernando Torres is the way forward for Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool
Under Kenny Dalglish however, the player seems to be getting back to his old self as he has benefited from his link up with the in-form Raul Meireles in the centre. Now 26 years old and at the peak of his powers, Torres saw in the arrival of £22.8million Luis Suarez from Ajax a way out of the Merseyside club with whom he has won no silverware. Now lying 7th in the league, Torres’ realistic chance of silverware this season is the Europa League. With Champions League action effectively out of reach for next season as well, ‘El Nino’ saw in Chelsea’s bid a chance to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League crowns. However, his desire has been thwarted by his club who know that their resurrection depends heavily on Torres staying put.
By bringing in World Cup star Luis Suarez to support Torres up front, manager Kenny Daglish has hit the right note in displaying his talisman the club’s ambitions. After all, his audacious plans of reviving the Merseyside giants has Torres at the heart of it. And with the Spaniard showing signs of his old prowess, Liverpool need him now more than ever.
