5 reasons why Fernando Torres is a no-go for Wenger

The social world was abuzz with news of Fernando Torres being earmarked as a target for the now open summer transfer window. Arsene Wenger seems to have expressed interest in the Spanish national who finished the Confederations Cup with a tally of 5 goals, taking the Golden Boot. El Niño cost the Blues a cool £50 million when he shifted allegiance from Liverpool in 2011, but he is still to validate the exorbitant amount.

Here are five reasons why Wenger will look the other way, as far as signing Torres goes.

Wenger’s Purse

For someone who cost £50 million two years back, no club will let him go for cheap. They will certainly try and stage a stop-loss, but that cannot exceed £15- 20 million, given Torres’ recent record. At the age of 29, Torres is certainly not done, but he cannot expect to be named in the same breath as contemporary strikers like van Persie and Suarez. He spent most of his time on the bench, even though he netted 22 goals in all competitions in the 2012-2013 season.

Wenger is already on the market for Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid, and if anyone is to believe the plethora of stories that are flooding the feed, it is more of a done deal. So if Wenger has already invested in Higuain who will cost him in the region of £22-27 million, why, pray, would he look to pick a player who doesn’t justify the price tag? Chelsea might be looking to offload the Spaniard to fit in to the new terms of Financial Fairplay, but that’s no reason that Arsenal will bite. Add Torres’ weekly wage to the equation, rumored to be around £175,000 a week, and Wenger is already on the way out.

Jose Mourinho

The ‘Special One’ has come out with a shortlist of sorts, and has reportedly stated that only five of the current Chelsea squad are starters, excluding even Juan Mata and David Luiz. Torres definitely doesn’t make the list, and if he isn’t good enough to push Chelsea, logic states that Wenger would not be interested either. This argument is completely independent of the fact that Mourinho has proven himself to be more of a spendthrift, and may just want to replace the old tapestry. Either way, this is too big a deal to not be wary off.

Wenger’s Style of Play

Over the years, Wenger has chosen to play a lone forward, supported by a second striker or by two attacking midfielders. If Higuain makes the cut, Torres, who is clearly lower in the pecking order, cannot be deployed alongside. Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski are all already in the squad, with or without satisfactory results. It is a problem of plenty if Torres does make the move, and going by our past experience with the Frenchman, this is two players too many. Depth is always appreciated, but Yaya Sanogo looks more than likely to slide in to any Carling Cup spot that may present itself.

Torres also has this habit of drifting wide and roaming the final third, which will only obstruct a Cazorla and a Wilshere, who look to play the flanks and supply the final ball closer to the center, rather than in the center, as exhibited by the Blues midfield.

Additionally, is Torres enough of the physical threat that Arsenal need? Not even close. He may have muscled Rio Ferdinand out of the way, back in 2009, when Liverpool played United. But that was then, and even David N’Gog managed to get on the score sheet.

The Knee Injury

Back in April 2010, right before the World Cup, Torres underwent a knee operation, which was deemed a success. Let’s quickly put some numbers together.

Team	EPL Season	Appearances	Goals	Conversion %
Liverpool	2007-08	33	24	73
	2008-09	24	14	58
	2009-10	22	18	82
Liverpool/Chelsea	2010-11	37	10	27
Chelsea	2011-12	32	6	19
	2012-13	36	8	22

Numbers do not lie. Until the knee surgery, Torres was a force, commanding a conversion rate of 82% at one point in the Premier League. Even a conversion rate of 58% is adequate for a striker, which roughly translates to a goal every two games. But right after the surgery, his performance clearly dipped, and after he was grandly pawned off to an unsuspecting Chelsea, the drop became even more prominent. His conversion rate in 2010-11 is not even half of his supposed worst two years earlier in 2008-09. The rumor mill spoke of shadows and daggers in the deal, but the dip is too big to sweep under the carpet.

Torres Himself

Reportedly, after Mourinho came out with the much talked about ‘shortlist’, the Spaniard decided that he needed to have a word with his manager soon. Only post this, if he doesn’t figure in his gaffer’s plan, will the forward decide his future. Even optimistically, Torres doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to make it to the top of the list, with talents like Edison Cavani from Napoli, and Wayne Rooney from Manchester United on the wish list. He was even offered to Napoli in a cash-plus-player deal, but they thought better of it, even with £34 million in the bargain.

A shadow of his former self, Napoli may have done well to refuse, and Torres is not the man a club can depend upon to bring the bread home. His past may have been nothing short of glorious, but the statistics don’t lie. The current striker for Arsenal, Giroud, scored 11 goals in 34 games, while Torres scored 8 in 36. Going simplistically by the conversion rate, the former is a better choice, even though it is marginal. Add Higuain, and Giroud is a way better option in the air and brings strength to the squad. Torres, at 29, is never going to be first choice for someone as picky as Wenger.