Fernando Torres

The past few days have been pretty mixed for Liverpool fans such as myself. On the one hand, the £23mil signing of the prolific Luis Suarez is a massive signal of intent from the new owners, which is exactly the kind of ambition that the club need to be showing, but on the other hand, a daunting shadow is being cast over Anfield - the potential sale of Fernando Torres. Star striker, Fernando Torres. To Chelsea. Oh dear.

Could you really picture this majestic man wearing Stamford Bridge blue...?

This in itself isn't news, because this little saga has been going on for a couple of days now. The prospect of Torres playing for the team that he's been so good at scoring against makes me squirm with anguish. Initially, Liverpool's stance had been firm. The message they were sending out was that under no circumstances would Torres be free to leave club, and that he'd at least play out each and every day of his contract. Of course, it was never going to be this simple, and with the lure of more money (as if any top flight footballer needs it), better team mates, and European football in his eyes, Fernando Torres handed in an official written transfer request. When a player openly expresses his desire to exit the club, you know it's going to be a tough task to keep the guy from jumping ship. And I guess John Henry and Kenny Dalglish have recognised this and are trying to make the best out of what ultimately is a bad, but inevitable situation. It's a shame, because Suarez was supposed to be a partner to Torres, and not a replacement, but unfortunately you can't change Fernando's feelings. He wants out, and Abramovich's Chelski have the cash to snap him up. The scenario must be embraced, and dealt with professionally. No more fumbling around by Director of Football Strategy (whatever the fuck that even is), Damien Comolli - time is very short, and Liverpool deserve to be climbing up the table. If Liverpool want Charlie Adam, then for God's sake be respectful and stump up the sum of money that Ian Holloway has demanded. Blackpool deserve better. The timing of this transfer frenzy is awkward, yes, because the window shuts at 11 o'clock on Monday evening, but it's imperative that Liverpool can find the right men to bring in and let out. Konchesky doesn't belong, and somebody has got to be brought in to prevent David N'gog from partnering Luis Suarez up front. It needs to be somebody of a similar calibre to the goal-in-every-1.33 games for Ajax striker. It turns out that Liverpool's modified stance is firmly asking Chelsea to splash out £50mil on the recently jaded looking Spanish superstar. Fair play to them, that'd be a tidy profit - especially for a man who's been lacking fitness and form in times of late. I would still like to see him stay though...but it just won't happen - which is a shame, because I really feel as though Torres had been looking more confident under Dalglish. It's as though Hodgson had been repressing the Spaniard's ego to the point of contemplating suicide, judging by his on pitch facial expressions and gurnings of disgruntlement. But like I said before, Torres' sale is inevitable. If it doesn't happen now it'll surely happen in the summer. Personally, I reckon Manchester City will stick their noses in at the last minute and slip in a cheeky bid. Whether this would prove successful is something else entirely, but it'd make for a bloody interesting story. Be sure to keep yourself up to date when it comes down to the crunch tomorrow.

YNWA