The January Transfer Window 2011

[Guest viperlike]

Torres has just looked like he doesnt want to be there this season, he doesnt play with any passion and just seems like he is unmotivated.

The young man could do with a move me thinks.

[Crybaby Bunting]

This is starting to look as though the following scenario has happened:

Fernando Torres figured that he'd want to leave last summer. The board was in tatters, the managerial situation was borderline retarded and the best players kept being sold year-on-year.

So he issues a quote, something along the lines of "If you don't bring in quality players then I'll leave" knowing that Liverpool wouldn't be able to provide him with the players he wanted, so it'd look as though it was their lack of ambition rather than him wanting to move.

So of course, when this transfer window came he fully expected to see something that he could claim to be the catalyst of a move. United bidding for Reina? Fringe players sold for more fringe players? And, hearing that Suarez was rumoured, figured that they'd have to sell half the team to finance such a move.

Liverpool didn't, and now Torres has been forced to use a transfer request in order to push forward a move.

The amazing irony being that his initial statements (combined with the RBS deadline) may well have been the catalyst for pushing the new owners through.

[Starvinho]

Talk in the morning press of an improved bid of around £38-40 million for Torres, with Daniel Sturridge as part of the deal. To me that is unrejectable, it's a serious amount of money and Sturridge is a class player who in my opinion is being held back at Chelsea.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Ahhhh. This amuses me. Guys were phoning up the radio last night going "Torres wouldn't want to leave. Liverpool are the team he supported as a kid and he'd never want to leave us ever."

So this makes me chuckle.

[TCO]

He's a good as gone now after the transfer request. Liverpool are best off just waiting to get the best they can before Monday instead of forcing him to stay against his will. Bringing Suarez in and maybe Suarez too will leave them healthy enough anyway to maintain their position on the fringes of Europe.

Edited January 29, 2011 by The Cool One

[therockbox]

United bidding for Reina? Fringe players sold for more fringe players? And, hearing that Suarez was rumoured, figured that they'd have to sell half the team to finance such a move.

Liverpool didn't, and now Torres has been forced to use a transfer request in order to push forward a move.

Except that isn't the case though, is it?

Man United haven't actually bid for Reina. We haven't sold fringe players and replaced them with fringe players. We haven't sold off 'half the team' or whatever to finance the (now accepted) bid for Suarez. Only Babel has gone and that has been on the cards for the best part of two seasons, he's no massive loss to the squad.

This is Hicks and Gillett's legacy. He joined us in 2007, having said he'd only ever leave Atletico for a team challenging for the very top honours, which we were at the time. Instead he's watched the club being torn down from the inside for three years, seen the club he left win the Europa League, and knows that it's going to take another few seasons - and that's assuming we get everything right - to get back to where we were, let alone in a position to actually expect to challenge for things.

I said in the summer that I wouldn't blame him - or any of our players - for wanting to leave, but waiting until there are barely 3 days of the transfer window left to try and force a move is a cunt's trick.

We'll only sell him in this window now if we get a huge, ridiculous offer from Chelsea or City, which involves getting an established player, and not potential like Sturridge, as part of the deal. Will be interesting to see what happens if he's still here and lines up against Stoke next Wednesday, the Mancs cheered fatboy after he'd decided to stay, but I don't think this will be the same.

[Pesci]

Fuck selling Torres now. It's not like there wouldn't be bids in the summer if we kept him. And they can keep Danny fucking Sturridge - how much would he add, like 3m?

[Blue Rosler]

Does Torres actually have that £50m buy out clause in his contract? Some papers say yes, some papers say no.

If he does, and Chelsea really want him rather than just unsettle him, why not simply utilize that clause?

[Hobo]

Ahhhh. This amuses me. Guys were phoning up the radio last night going "Torres wouldn't want to leave. Liverpool are the team he supported as a kid and he'd never want to leave us ever."

So this makes me chuckle.

You're just as bad. Remember when your sig was a plea for Robbie Keane not to leave and be another 'cog in the Anfield machine'?

And it's probably a comparable move, owing to how injury prone Torres. He's only just getting back to form at Liverpool. If Chelsea buy him, they might not get much out of him for a while. Because Torres gets injured at Chelsea and Drogba and Anelka are there to take his place.

[TCO]

Fuck selling Torres now. It's not like there wouldn't be bids in the summer if we kept him.

There'd be bids alright, much lower ones with all clubs knowing he wants out after spending half a season not giving a flying fuck while playing for Liverpool. If Chelsea bid £40 million they'd be stupid and stubborn not to accept it.

[Hobo]

£40 million, three days before the transfer deadline isn't really worth much to Liverpool, when you consider Torres is the clubs top scorer in the league. I would argue that due to the late nature of the bid, the club shouldn't settle for anything lower than £50 or 60 million.

[EddieG]

Does Torres actually have that £50m buy out clause in his contract? Some papers say yes, some papers say no.

If he does, and Chelsea really want him rather than just unsettle him, why not simply utilize that clause?

Apparently the clause is there, but won't kick in till the summer.

[Szumi]

Soccernet is reporting that Villa have acquired Michael Bradley on loan for the rest of the season. Sure, just what that club needs: ANOTHER center midfield! Seems like a poor move for Bradley, as it seems like it could be hard for him to grab constant first-team action there. Who knows though, maybe he'll start every game. I never can tell with Villa.

With the whole Torres thing, I can understand why he wants to go. He wants Champion's League football, and has always said he admires Chelsea. Hell, I still wish we got him in the summer when we could've brought in a great sum of money for him (but that was never possible with the owners at the time). Like rockbox said though, it's a dick move to do submit a request this late in the window. It's not going to be easy to replace Torres in that little time. Suarez has all the talent to be a world-class striker in the Prem, but he's definitely going to need some time to settle in the Premier League. So losing Torres while adding Suarez just ends up being a huge downgrade for the squad. And bringing in Sturridge isn't going to help this season, despite what potential he may have. All the momentum Liverpool have been gaining under Daglish looks like it could be fading incredibly fast now.

[ONO]

Nothing wrong with that deal at all.

[Starvinho]

Fuck selling Torres now. It's not like there wouldn't be bids in the summer if we kept him. And they can keep Danny fucking Sturridge - how much would he add, like 3m?

Danny Sturridge is a 20-goal a season striker, he just needs to start more games! Granted he's no Torres but he would be a good, young and hungry potential replacement, well in my opinion anyways.

[Hobo]

Fuck selling Torres now. It's not like there wouldn't be bids in the summer if we kept him. And they can keep Danny fucking Sturridge - how much would he add, like 3m?

Danny Sturridge is a 20-goal a season striker, he just needs to start more games! Granted he's no Torres but he would be a good, young and hungry potential replacement, well in my opinion anyways.

We've got David N'Gog, whose is the same age and has scored more goals in his career so far than Sturridge. Other than being another striker to add to the squad, what does Sturridge add that David N'Gog doesn't?

[therockbox]

Danny Sturridge is a 20-goal a season striker

When?

[Starvinho]

Danny Sturridge is a 20-goal a season striker

When?

When he finds a club that plays him week in, week out, he will be a 20-goal a season striker no doubt.

[therockbox]

Six goals in nearly 50 senior appearances would suggest otherwise.

[Starvinho]

Most of them were substitute appearences I'm betting. Anyways nothing I can say will change your mind, you've obviously made your mind up he's shit and isn't good enough for Liverpool. Ironic really, a United fan trying to big up a Chelsea player, who was a City trainee, to a Liverpool fan...