Fernando Torres quickly established himself as fans' favourite at Anfield
Whenever Liverpool fans read a news headline boasting the name Fernando Torres, their heart usually sinks and they let out a dull sigh of resignation. “Torres to Chelsea”, “Torres to Manchester City”, “Torres to Real Madrid”. Same old, same old. But don’t fret Reds’ fans, I’m here to inject a bit of optimism into the situation. Fernando Torres won’t be leaving Liverpool this summer, and here’s why.
As the whole world witnessed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Torres was out of sorts. He had a tournament to forget, culminating in tearing a thigh muscle in the closing minutes of Spain’s victorious final victory over Holland. That particular moment was almost symbolic of the rollercoaster year or two that Torres has experienced; a World Cup final appearance and winner’s medal, overshadowed by a goal drought and yet another muscle injury right about summed up the last 18 months in the career of Fernando Torres. It was enough to make Liverpool supporters everywhere spit up their dinner and reside to the bedroom for an early night. However, as daft as it may seem, it may have been a blessing in disguise for the Reds in the face of intense interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.
Before the tournament began Chelsea were prepared to pay £50mill for the emphatic striker, and the deal seemed inevitable. A 7th-place finish and a sour end to Rafael Benitez’s career looked as if it would also spell the end of the road for Torres as a Liverpool player. Immediately after the conclusion of that historic final however, Chelsea’s interest waned and they are no longer in the front-running to sign Torres. It seemed that a lack of form, coupled by frequent long-term injuries caused Ancelotti and his troops to turn their focus elsewhere. One has to wonder, if Torres has netted 5 or 6 goals and played more of an integral part in Spain’s triumph, would he still be a Liverpool player as we speak? This also causes me to believe that Manchester City would only sign Torres as a last possible option, and with the money knocking around at Eastlands this summer, that situation looks unlikely to occur. I wonder if Manchester City fans would be happy for their club to spill out £40-50mill to bring an out-of-form, injury-prone striker to their club when the money could be used on a much fitter, much happier player? Perhaps they would, and perhaps Roberto Mancini would be that ruthless, but with the news that City have to ship out at least 12 players before the transfer window closes, and with James Milner and Mario Balotelli likely to arrive at Eastlands in the near future, I should think Torres is last on Mancini’s list of priorities.
As well as the question of fitness and form comes the question of game-time. I’ve raised the point in the past regarding James Milner’s potential decision to join City, and whether he would become a regular member of Mancini’s side. In my view, Milner’s role at the club would be as a squad player, someone who will occupy the substitute’s bench until injuries and suspensions started to clock up, and only then would he get his chance to perform. The same goes for Torres. Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor will be very hard to shunt, whilst David Silva and Mario Balotelli are just two of the other potential attacking options Mancini will have at his disposal. Of course, there is the obvious attraction of money, and Torres would be offered a substantial amount. However, surely Torres would be more content at playing week-in-week-out (providing he’s fully fit) for a club that worships him like a god, and gives him a fairly decent wage despite Liverpool’s much-publicised financial troubles. I would hope so being a Torres and a Liverpool fan. If he wants regular football and an adoring fanbase, Liverpool is the place for him.
The problem at the moment is the constant lack of certainty surrounding the Spaniard and Liverpool Football Club as a whole. Roy Hodgson is still waiting for Torres to commit himself, or not as the case may be, to the club, and until he does just that, it’s difficult for the new Anfield boss to make his plans and bring in a couple of new faces. There is also the small matter of the transfer fee that Torres would require, which I’ve already mentioned would be in excess of £40-50mill. With none of that money to work with just yet, Hodgson can’t act to bring in a high-quality replacement for Torres, or indeed fill in a couple of the positions that need strengthening before the big kick-off on August 15th. As much as I understand Fernando has a big decision to make, still being unsure two-and-a-half weeks before the season begins isn’t an ideal situation for the manager. However, it is also due to the length of time Torres has taken to make his mind up that I believe his final decision will be to stay at Liverpool. If he desperately wanted to leave the club, he would have at least made it clear that was his ambitious. In fact, he probably still wouldn’t be with us today, and I think that tells a lot about his feeling and love for the fans of the club. Whilst he’s voiced his concerns over the treatment of some of the players, including himself, during the Rafael Benitez regime, he’s always had a special affection for the Anfield faithful, and vice versa. Hopefully that will be enough to keep Torres at Liverpool.
If it isn’t, then there’s always the ideas and plans that Roy Hodgson is putting in place at his new club. Through the transfer of Joe Cole, Hodgson has already persuaded Steven Gerrard that his future lies at his beloved local club, and the 62-year old will be praying that it will have the same affect on his influential talisman. Last season, the support to Torres was nothing more than average, with the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Lucas and even Gerrard himself not delivering the goods as expected. Not only with the signing of Joe Cole, but also with the arrival of Serbian international Milan Jovanovic, plus the potential deal to bring Rafael van der Vaart to the club may be enough to keep Torres on Merseyside, and ultimately get Liverpool back into the top four and challenging for honours again.
So there you are Liverpool fans, don’t worry about a thing. For the aforementioned reasons, I believe Fernando Torres will remain a Liverpool player for the foreseeable future, and our wonderful club will be in great shape to get back amongst the Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s of this world next season. You’ll never walk alone!
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