Torres has cut a forlorn figure for LFC of late
A couple of days after Torres dropped the news about wanting to leave Liverpool for Chelsea we considered the reds options.
And as we welcome in February after a hectic transfer day, all indications are that Liverpool ultimately did the right thing for ourselves by selling the player on. His comments upon signing Chelsea indicated the lack of loyalty common place in most modern footballers.
He sold all of us his lies, his autobiography and his shirts, but all the suggestions coming out of the club is that the right choice was made.
For a while now it appears Fernando Torres has been playing for Fernando Torres Football Club and not Liverpool. As the new owners pick up the pieces from the previous regime that left us with only one senior striker (and an unhappy and disruptive one than that) it made little sense to keep him skulking around Melwood like a petulant child.
Torres has not been the player for Liverpool that he was, but Liverpool fans remained loyal to him despite his poor performances. He may well go on to be brilliant for Chelsea – but the fact remains that he never would have done for Liverpool. His heart wasn’t in it anymore, and he wasn’t earning his salary for the reds.
In years gone by Liverpool decided when players were to be disposed of, but since the player investment dried up at Anfield, Alonso, Mascherano and Torres have all felt the desire to slap transfer requests in.
The reds were believed to be considering whether to attempt to convince Torres to stay, but as it turned out, decided against wasting their breath – something which surprised Fernando himself.
Liverpool can count the transfer profit on those players (at £60M), but up until October, sadly, the reds wasted over £100M in 3 years on interest to the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Although the reds only managed to spend £2M in this transfer window, due in no part to Torres’ late decision to cause chaos for the reds, it is clear that intention and funds are there for Liverpool to once again head in to the transfer market in the summer with a substantial pot of cash.
Chelsea may have splashed out £70M from Roman’s back-pocket (ironically on the day they announced a loss of £70M in 2010), but it will be Liverpool’s willingness to spend £35 and £23M apiece on two players that will have the rest of Europe talking.
For too long now, the reds have been quite simply not involved in the competition for the world’s better players. The infamous failure to buy Carlton Cole because at £9M he cost too much in August last year is now a distant memory.
Liverpool are a solvent football club. Now, without the huge weight of debt, they can once again compete at the highest level of the market.
Fernando Torres may claim that he left because of lack of ambition, although numerous other goings on at Liverpool in recent years are behind his decision. Liverpool held firm that it would take £50M, and even ended up holding the Torres deal up while they made sure they had a replacement striker signed first.
Torres’ departure may well have been the final major blow of the old regime. The day we buried the misery of a regime that almost put Liverpool in to administration. In our view, it was the final shockwave.
Mums and Dads will be explaining to their children today why Fernando Torres no longer plays for Liverpool. Their reasoning should be simple. “He didn’t believe anymore. He chose to walk alone.” Only time will tell if he will miss out on the Golden Sky.
Liverpool Football Club are stronger today than they were yesterday, and that is where our priorities are.