82 THE PREM ERA
Just when it looked as if football’s transfer
dealings had fallen into line with the rest of
the global economy, along came Roman
Abramovich’s Chelsea to blow the market
apart on the final day of theJanuary
window with a £50 million deal for
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Torres
agreed to a British-record move on a day
of frantic trading that also saw Liverpool
re-invest almost three-quarters of the
Torresfeeina£35mmoveforNewcastle
United striker Andy Carroll, which made
the 22-year-old the most expensive
British footballer ever.
A decline in Liverpool’s fortunes since
their 2007 Champions League final defeat
and the sale of key players, such asJavier
Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, had prompted
Torres to question his commitment to the
Reds and he submitted a written transfer
request three days before the close of
the transfer window.
“I felt from last summer that I need
totakeastepforward”saysTorres.“Iam
joining a team that is at the top level –
there is not another level after Chelsea.”
In Torres, Chelsea have signed a player
long coveted by Abramovich. But the
capture of Torres marks a significant
change of strategy for the club.
Last summer, Chelsea eased a number
of big earners off their payroll. The likes of
Michael Ballack, Deco andJoe Cole left
and the club looked to the youth system
to fill some of the gaps. The strategy
was partly an acknowledgement that
Chelsea’s position at the top of the
Premier League spending league had
been usurped by Manchester City, and
partly a signal that Abramovich was keen
to ensure that Chelsea moved towards
compliance with UEFA’s proposed
regulations on Financial Fair Play.
Now, after the signing of Torres,
and a £25m deal for Brazilian defender
David Luiz from Benfica, Abramovich has
returned to his big-spending ways with
a vengeance. Although the Russian
continues to reject any contact with the
media, it is safe to surmise that he saw the
January window as Chelsea’s best chance
to land Torres, with Manchester City having
brought in Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg
earlier in the month. It was also a last
chance for large-scale spending before
UEFA’s FFP regulations kick in.
On the day that the Torres and Luiz deals
were completed, Chelsea also announced
annual losses of £70m, yet club officials
remain confident that they will be in a
position to comply with UEFA’s new rules.
John HolmesdaleTHE TRANSFERS
breakers
Record
After Robinho’s arrival, the
Premier League’s transfer record
has continued to be broken...
Fernando Torres
MARCH 2011:Spanish striker
joins Chelsea in record deal