Out-of-touch Fernando Torres wants out of Anfield?
It seems absurd to say that it has not been a good year for Fernando Torres, as there is no greater moment in a footballer’s career those hoisting the World Cup. But it really hasn’t. Sure, he had moments of brilliance with Liverpool such as injury time game-winner vs. Aston Villa, but let’s all be honest, the real Fernando Torres has not been with us in months. Maybe it was a nagging injury or maybe it was Rafa’s rotation policy, but either way the Spanish striker now has supposedly decided that Liverpool isn’t the right place for him anymore, and there doesn’t seem to be anything Roy Hodgson can do about it.
Torres is only one year into his four-year contract with the Reds, and while Hodgson said, “People forget he is a Liverpool player. One year ago he signed a four-year contract. I hope he will commit himself by honouring his contract,” there clearly seems to be a feeling of defeat in Hodgson’s words.
In an interview with News of the World, Hodgson said, “Unfortunately, I cannot do much more. His beef is with the club and not me. Fernando’s situation has nothing to do with me, he made that perfectly clear over the phone during the World Cup and when I met him face-to-face.
“He knows what I would like to do with the club. He knows how much I value him. But his issues are with what has gone on in the past rather than the future. If he has problems with the club for things in the past, it is difficult for me to dismiss that.”
It has been no secret that Chelsea are aiming to sign Torres to form a deadly partnership with Didier Drogba, and a £30m transfer fee has been thrown around in rumours for the 26-year-old. The lure of Champions League football seems far too irresistible, and perhaps El Niño has already decided that he is too good to play in Europe’s second tier club competition. However, considering the fact that Diego Forlan stole the show in the Europa League and in the World Cup, I’m not sure that argument can really be made.
Whatever happens, it seems that Roy Hodgson has left the decision with his invaluable man up top. After all, Hodgson doesn’t want to start the season with players that do not want to be there and aren’t committed. Torres cares about Anfield, but does he care about his personal accolades more? We’ll see…
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