Football Transfer Gossip: What was the deciding factor behind Fernando Torres's commitment at Liverpool
So at least one transfer saga has been put to rest. El Nino is staying at the Kop. The Fernando Torres transfer saga is one of the most protracted one of the summer and with his new manager signing star players like Milan Jovanovic and Joe Cole for paltry sums of money, it was enough to prove a point to the Spaniard that his club mean serious business.
Liverpool are somewhat getting the rosy side of every deal these days, first they snapped up Joe Cole for free, then they signed Jovanovic for peanuts and if that wasn’t enough, Gerrard said he is staying at the Club. That was followed by Torres committing his future to the club, at least for now. To improve on the situation, the merseyside club are in a takeover bid by a Chinese business tycoon.
Even on the pitch, matters are looking good, as Liverpool made sure that they will be playing in the group stages of the Europa League after beating Robotniki of Macedonia in the qualifier 4-0 on aggregate, their purple patch continues and credit must go Roy Hodgson, who himself is on some kind of a roll.
Whatever Hodgson touches turns to gold at least in football. Last year he guided a highly unfancied Fulham to the brink of continental glory, a run that will be remembered by their fans for decades to come and now he is turning the tide for Liverpool.
Liverpool in recent years have been the joke of the comedians but things are getting serious now and anyone who does not count them as serious title contenders is living in a fool’s paradise.
The Premier League this season is going to be one h**l of a competition with City, Spurs, Everton and Villa giving the usual suspects a run for their money.
Roy Hodgson is vying to become the messiah for Liverpool, that Alan Shearer couldn’t for Newcastle last year and so far, he hasn’t put a foot wrong.
Fernando Torres said that Roy’s plans for Liverpool was a major deciding factor for him to commit his future to Liverpool but it seems very likely that it is the supposed takeover bid that has grabbed the attention of the Spanish kid and the promise of a big transfer kitty.
Ever since Hodgson took over reins at Liverpool FC, the spin from Merseyside and the moaning media has been in attempt to lay every possible bit of credit at Hodgson’s door. Every move by the man has been applauded and his stocks are rising if not sky rocketing with every passing day with hardly a ball being kicked in anger or frustration.
Until last week, Roy was struggling to tie up the unwanted Aston Villa right back Luke Young to Liverpool, a move that would have hardly done anything to persuade Torres to commit his future to the club. The sudden public announcement by Torres to say that he is staying at the club is a sign that something behind the doors at Lime Street is changing.
Hodgson’s plans, whatever they may be, will surely take the backseat in significance in the face of the takeover that the club is speculated to be going through.
Last season, Torres suggested that Liverpool needed to bring in 5 or 6 high profile names to Anfield, if they were to harbour any hopes of competing with the big boys. The subtext was evident to anyone with a little footballing sense, that a failure to comply with the wish would result in him looking elsewhere in search of employment and of course glory.
Torres’s loyalty can never be questioned and so can’t be the fact that he is well settled in Liverpool, and same goes for his talent but he is no fool. Liverpool are a highly indebted club, barely keeping their heads above water and no transfer money for another season would have meant a disaster even for a club of Liverpool’s stature.
Hodgson, however fine communicator he may be, but he could not have convinced Torres to stay at the club that was perhaps delivered by Kenny Huang’s emissaries.
Whatever the spin may say, logic surely says that it’s not Roy’s plans that have been the most persuasive in case of Torres.
Tags: