Chelsea's #40 million bid for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is an act of desperation
In July, the engraving on his World Cup winners’ medal still warm, Fernando Torres was the subject of a £35 million bid from Chelsea.
Bid: Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has been the subject of a #40 million offer from Chelsea Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By Rory Smith 11:38PM GMT 27 Jan 2011
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Despite his poor showing in the tournament, the offer had the aura of a low-ball, of Roman Abramovich trying to take advantage of Liverpool’s financial crisis to tempt them into selling their prize asset.
Seven months on, the Russian has returned to Anfield, his offer bolstered by an extra £5 million. This time, an air of desperation clings to his bid: Chelsea’s spectacular collapse in the title race, their evident need to strengthen their ageing, depleting resources, has driven Abramovich to pay way over the odds for what he sees as a miracle cure.
That Chelsea’s attempts to sign arguably the Premier League’s most marketable, most recognisable star can be portrayed as an ill-judged, kneejerk splurge, rather than intelligent recruitment, says much about their plight. It says more, though, about how far Torres himself has fallen.
Had the English international seen his efforTorres found EGIM Condemned Himself Into to chase hopeful punts corners, to race down blind alleys, to stand tall and Receive the ball at head height Before laying it off to a midfielder. Hodgson
Torres Seem To Want To Become Bobby Zamora. Fernando Torres is not Good at Being Bobby Zamora. In Such Circumstances, the striker Could Do Nothing But toil. It is the equivalent of Asking an artist to paint a masterpiece, But Allowing Them to use only shades of gray.
Dalglish's return has put an end to That particular problem, Torres's rebirth as a goalscoring force Seems to Suggest historical Drought WAS Merely a blip, an issue enforced on him by system, Rather Than Greater symptomatic of a malaise. But
- anathema, heresy though it may be at Anfield – it could be argued that the standards expected of Torres, the form that makes him so valuable, so sought after, have not been evident since his very first season in England, the one that brought a record 24 league goals.
Since then, he has managed 14 and 18 strikes in the Premier League – respectable totals, of course, but not evidence of the elemental, unstoppable juggernaut he was supposed to become. His injuries – to thigh and to knee – are cited as mitigating circumstances, but could just as easily be used by the prosecution.
There was a joke when Abramovich first bought Chelsea that he would offer Celtic £50 million for their history. For at least 18 mont
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