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Liverpool must buy big or I quit, says Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard
Ian Hawkey in Barcelona. Additional reporting: Nick Harris
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div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} FERNANDO TORRES has told Liverpool they must bring in big names this summer if he is to remain at the club. The Spain striker said that Liverpool will continue to “go backwards” unless “four or five top-class players” arrive.
Without that investment he will think hard about his future at Anfield and even hinted that he would be prepared to join another English club rather than return to Spain.
Torres, inset, who joined from Atletico Madrid in 2007 and accepted improved terms last May to a contract that runs until 2013, suggested Liverpool will not be his last employer. “I don’t know how many clubs I will play for over the years,” he told Spanish newspaper AS. He hoped to remain part of an ambitious Liverpool and dismissed the idea of returning to Spanish football, with Barcelona or Real Madrid, in the summer. “I don’t plan on going back to La Liga for a while. I have made my move away from home and I owe Liverpool a lot. I like it here, and people have treated me like one of their own.”
Asked if the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United would prevent him going to Old Trafford, just as his Atletico roots would seem to preclude joining Real Madrid, Torres said the two situations could not be compared. Had he thought about leaving Liverpool? “It’s too early to talk about that,” he said.
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Torres still believes Liverpool will end the season in the top four. Then they must bring in new players. “It’s really important the club works hard to bring in top players and improve the quality of the squad,” he said. “To be competitive, we need four or five top-class players, better than are here now. Without reinforcements we will be battling again to make fourth place. I want to be competing next year to win the league, and the Champions League or Europa League, but that will mean bringing in signings.
“This club deserves to be winning again, and they know that, right now, they are a long way from that. The fans are worried that players are going to leave and that’s a problem. But I think the club will go the right way. Since Christian Purslow took over [as chief executive], we have signed a big new sponsorship deal and money has come in. So I think things will move forward.”
Torres’ frustration came as it was reported last night that an American equity firm, the Rhone Group, is working on a £100m deal to buy 40% of Liverpool. However, sources with knowledge of the club’s search for new investors said Liverpool “are not anywhere close to a deal to sell a major stake in the club”. Liverpool’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have hired Rothschild to seek new partners, and the bankers have been in talks with “several” interested parties, including at least one US-based group other than Rhone. But no deal will happen before Liverpool’s qualification for next season’s Champions League is settled. Qualifying would help Hicks and Gillett keep majority ownership. Failure could force a sale of the whole club.
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard
Ian Hawkey in Barcelona. Additional reporting: Nick Harris
gSiteLife.Recommend("ExternalResource", "7061092","http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article7061092.ece");Recommend? (8)
div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} FERNANDO TORRES has told Liverpool they must bring in big names this summer if he is to remain at the club. The Spain striker said that Liverpool will continue to “go backwards” unless “four or five top-class players” arrive.
Without that investment he will think hard about his future at Anfield and even hinted that he would be prepared to join another English club rather than return to Spain.
Torres, inset, who joined from Atletico Madrid in 2007 and accepted improved terms last May to a contract that runs until 2013, suggested Liverpool will not be his last employer. “I don’t know how many clubs I will play for over the years,” he told Spanish newspaper AS. He hoped to remain part of an ambitious Liverpool and dismissed the idea of returning to Spanish football, with Barcelona or Real Madrid, in the summer. “I don’t plan on going back to La Liga for a while. I have made my move away from home and I owe Liverpool a lot. I like it here, and people have treated me like one of their own.”
Asked if the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United would prevent him going to Old Trafford, just as his Atletico roots would seem to preclude joining Real Madrid, Torres said the two situations could not be compared. Had he thought about leaving Liverpool? “It’s too early to talk about that,” he said.
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Torres still believes Liverpool will end the season in the top four. Then they must bring in new players. “It’s really important the club works hard to bring in top players and improve the quality of the squad,” he said. “To be competitive, we need four or five top-class players, better than are here now. Without reinforcements we will be battling again to make fourth place. I want to be competing next year to win the league, and the Champions League or Europa League, but that will mean bringing in signings.
“This club deserves to be winning again, and they know that, right now, they are a long way from that. The fans are worried that players are going to leave and that’s a problem. But I think the club will go the right way. Since Christian Purslow took over [as chief executive], we have signed a big new sponsorship deal and money has come in. So I think things will move forward.”
Torres’ frustration came as it was reported last night that an American equity firm, the Rhone Group, is working on a £100m deal to buy 40% of Liverpool. However, sources with knowledge of the club’s search for new investors said Liverpool “are not anywhere close to a deal to sell a major stake in the club”. Liverpool’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have hired Rothschild to seek new partners, and the bankers have been in talks with “several” interested parties, including at least one US-based group other than Rhone. But no deal will happen before Liverpool’s qualification for next season’s Champions League is settled. Qualifying would help Hicks and Gillett keep majority ownership. Failure could force a sale of the whole club.