Torres makes record Chelsea move

Chelsea smash British transfer record to sign Fernando Torres for £50 million from Liverpool.

LONDON: Chelsea smashed the British transfer record to sign Fernando Torres for £50 million from Liverpool, who had earlier made a club record swoop for Newcastle forward Andy Carroll on a dramatic January deadline day.

The Blues last week had a £35 million offer for Torres rejected, a move which prompted the 26-year-old to submit a written transfer request on Friday, which was also turned down. But Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was determined and got his man late on Monday.

In the end, total spending by English Premier League clubs approached £200 million compared to £29 million last January.

Torres optimistic

“These have been some hard days for me, especially because of everything I’m leaving at Liverpool, but I’m sure I’m taking one of the biggest steps forward in my career,” Torres told Chelsea’s official website. “Chelsea are the kind of team I want to play for. They are one of the biggest teams in Europe and are always fighting for everything.

“The target for every footballer is to play in one of the top-level clubs in the world and I can do it now.”

Torres was not the only arrival at Chelsea as they struck a deal with Benfica for Brazilian defender David Luiz while Daniel Sturridge left Chelsea to join Bolton on loan for the rest of the season. Liverpool also landed prolific Uruguay forward Luis Suarez from Ajax.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2011.