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• Mascherano took pay cut to join Barcelona
• Decision to leave had nothing to do with his family

Javier Mascherano’s desperation to leave Liverpool led the Argentina captain to take a pay cut to complete his £20m move to Barcelona. The midfielder has claimed broken promises – and not his family’s failure to settle on Merseyside – prompted his decision to force a move from Anfield.

The 26-year-old finally joined the Spanish champions on Monday night following a 12-month transfer pursuit plus a bitter end to his Anfield career, amid suggestions he refused to play in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City to secure an exit. Mascherano rejects that allegation and has denied that his main motivation for leaving Liverpool was to be reunited with his wife and young children, who have lived in Buenos Aires for most of his time on Merseyside.

Instead Mascherano, who was refused a move to Barcelona last summer but promised he could leave if Liverpool received an acceptable offer this year, and who was offered a new contract at Anfield last season, has blamed his former club for the split.

“When they started to involve my family and to say things that didn’t make sense, I obviously suffered,” he said. “They’d promised me something for a whole year and they never fulfilled their promise. And that didn’t have anything to do with my family or anything else. When you read or hear lies, you obviously get angry.”

In announcing their agreement with Liverpool last week Barcelona praised “the intensive efforts made by the club in the final hours and through the player himself in the negotiations”, and it is understood Mascherano accepted less than his £70,000-a-week wage at Anfield to secure a four-year contract at the Camp Nou. The midfielder said today: “I’d also like to thank the club for their efforts. They’ve spent a lot of money and it was my duty to give way a bit to make this dream come true. When this chance came up I didn’t hesitate. I’ve joined the best club in the world and the best team in the world.”

Mascherano expressed his gratitude to the former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez for rescuing him from a miserable spell at West Ham United in 2007. He said: “Rafa taught me tactics. He’s one of the coaches who have taught me the most in my career and I’m very grateful to him. He was fundamental. He gave me the chance to join Liverpool. He had confidence in me at a time when, perhaps, nobody would have dreamed of giving me an opportunity. I’ll be grateful to him all my life.”

Liverpool’s new £3.5m signing Paul Konchesky is to make his debut in Jamie Carragher’s testimonial against an Everton XI at Anfield on Saturday.

BarcelonaLiverpoolTransfer windowAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

• Forward says Liverpool risk falling behind main rivals
• Club needs owners ‘who can make us a competitive side’

Fernando Torres says it is imperative that Liverpool find new owners quickly if they are to avoid falling further behind the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

Torres, who last month pledged his future to the club amid speculation linking him with a move away, also confirmed more than one team had a bid turned down for him this summer.

Reiterating his commitment to Liverpool, where he is contracted until 2013, the 26-year-old said he is desperate to help bring success back to Anfield. For that to happen, Torres believes the club’s owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, must complete their proposed sale of the club as soon as possible.

“It’s fundamental new owners arrive who can make us a competitive side,” he told the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope. “We’re not that far behind. We had an appalling season last time around, but the year before we were just four points from Manchester United.

“Hopefully, we can find a consortium that buys the club and can make Liverpool able to fight financially with Chelsea and United. Then let’s see what we’re capable of doing this season.”

Like Torres the club’s captain, Steven Gerrard, was linked with a move away from Anfield in the transfer window and his retention was thought to be a crucial factor behind his team-mate’s decision to stay.

“Liverpool kept Steven Gerrard, which was fundamental. It’s still a great team. It’s a delicate situation because we’re not in the Champions League but it’s still the biggest club in England and to play at Anfield every week is a privilege,” Torres said.

“That’s how I see it. I like to have targets and to be able to help bring Liverpool back where they deserve to be is a beautiful target. It’s always complicated when you start with a new manager and new players, but we’ll see what we’re capable of.”

Chelsea and Manchester City were both linked with moves for Torres this summer.

“The club received offers and decided to reject them,” said Torres without identifying the clubs in question. “That’s where it ends. Everyone thought I was leaving for Spain during the World Cup when there was nothing in it. I said the day I returned to train that my future was at Liverpool. I have a contract until 2013.

“This year, our target has to be the top four. Like every team-mate, we all want to improve and win titles and, for that, it’s fundamental we get new owners.”

Fernando TorresLiverpoolTransfer windowguardian.co.uk

• Liverpool remain reliant on injury-prone Fernando Torres
• Sunderland swoop for Ghana’s World Cup star Asamoah Gyan

Sunderland made the biggest splash, Manchester City finally recouped some money for Robinho and Birmingham City helped take this summer’s total spend towards £350m. Arguably the most significant development on transfer deadline day, however, was what did not happen at Liverpool.

For the second successive season Liverpool have been left over-reliant on the form and fitness of Fernando Torres having failed to improve cover for a striker who has suffered two injury-plagued campaigns and, as Roy Hodgson conceded on Sunday, is not fully recovered from the knee problem that impacted on his World Cup. The Anfield club made a belated attempt to wrest Carlton Cole from West Ham United yesterday, having considered previous options over recent days, but several offers were unable to convince the Hammers to sell the England international.

Liverpool are believed to have offered Lucas Leiva, the Brazilian midfielder, and Ryan Babel, their Dutch international forward, in exchange for Cole but neither player wanted to leave Anfield for Upton Park. Babel reportedly travelled to London via helicopter in anticipation of a deal only to eventually Tweet that; “I’m going no where. LFC all the way. YNWA!!” as the clubs failed to agree on a valuation for Cole. With PSV Eindhoven’s Ola Toivonen priced out of Liverpool’s reach, and Bayern Munich refusing to release Mario Gómez even on loan, Hodgson will have to make do with Babel, David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt as cover for Torres until January.

The failure to sign a much-needed striker means Liverpool recouped more than they spent in this transfer window, another indication of the financial restrictions under the co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and this after convincing Torres and Steven Gerrard to resist any overtures for their signatures in the summer.

Hodgson did at least resolve Liverpool’s deficiency at left-back with the signing of Paul Konchesky from Fulham, the manager’s former club, in a £3.5m deal that also sent promising youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic in the opposite direction. The Liverpool left-back Emiliano Insua, who rejected a move to Fiorentina in the summer after a £5m deal had been agreed between the clubs, joined Galatasaray on a season’s loan with a view to a permanent deal. The French midfielder Damien Plessis signed for Panathinaikos while Liverpool are still hopeful of releasing Nabil El Zhar and Charles Itandje on loan after the deadline.

City recouped an initial £18m, rising to £21m, for Robinho after the errant Brazilian forward signed a four-year contract with Milan – two years after his £32.5m arrival at Eastlands from Real Madrid. The Premier League’s biggest import on deadline day belonged to Sunderland and their club record £13m capture of the Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan from Rennes.

The 24-year-old, who scored three goals in Ghana’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals, signed a four-year contract with Steve Bruce’s side. Gyan said: “My family is in England already and I am happy this is the right place for me. The Sunderland coach has faith in me because he has been following me for two years now. I am pleased I have the opportunity to come to England.”

Tony Pulis ended his exhaustive search for a new striker moments before the deadline when Stoke City signed Eidur Gudjohnsen on loan from Monaco and also the former Arsenal, Birmingham City and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant. Alex McLeish was also active as Birmingham signed the former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb from Barcelona on a season-long loan, the Czech defender Martin Jiranek from Spartak Moscow and the Chile winger Jean Beausejour from Club America, both for undisclosed fees.

Everton rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s offer of Robbie Keane and David Bentley for Steven Pienaar and Louis Saha. Harry Redknapp initially proposed a swap deal of just Keane for Saha and Pienaar, who is out of contract at Goodison Park next summer, only to throw Bentley’s name into the deal too this morning. Everton dismissed that offer but allowed Joseph Yobo to join Fenerbahce on a 12-month loan with a view to a £5m permanent transfer next summer. David Moyes also enquired about Charles N’Zogbia but was unable to further his interest in the Wigan Athletic winger without selling Ayegbeni Yakubu.

LiverpoolTransfer windowManchester CitySunderlandStoke CityEvertonAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk