Watch Liverpool

Posts Tagged ‘fernando torres’

• 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

• Training would suit his fitness, says Roy Hodgson
• Player keen to be involved with Spain

Liverpool’s appeal for Fernando Torres to be spared international duty is likely to be ignored with the striker keen to play for Spain and expected to start next week’s friendly against Argentina.

Roy Hodgson yesterday called on the Spain manager, Vicente Del Bosque, to omit Torres from the Euro 2012 qualifier in Liechtenstein on Friday and the friendly in Buenos Aires next Tuesday. The Liverpool striker joined his international team-mates on Sunday evening, having been named in the squad last week. After losing his regular starting place in the Spain team in South Africa, where he was hindered by a knee problem, it is believed Torres does not want to jeopardise his involvement under Del Bosque further by making himself unavailable for selection.

Hodgson believes a two-week training programme on Merseyside would suit Torres’s long-term fitness rather than preparing for matches with Spain. But he admits Liverpool are powerless to prevent their record signing featuring in the double-header. “We can’t say he’s unfit to play because he’s just played 85 minutes against West Bromwich Albion,” said Hodgson. “We can only ask the question, propose that this is the best option for the player but we don’t have the right to pull him out.

“The more work our sports science people can do with him, to build him up, give him basically the good pre-season that all players need, the better it will be for his long-term future. If we’re unable to do that because he’s asked to play so many matches in this early part of the season it’s going to effect us negatively.”

Fernando TorresRoy HodgsonLiverpoolSpainAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk