|
|
Fernando Torres Takes Swipe At Liverpool: At Chelsea I Can Play At The Level I Am Supposed To
Striker swaps Anfield for Stamford Bridge in sensational switch
01-Feb-2011 6:07:00 AM
By Richard Parry
Fernando Torres has admitted his delight having finally completed his £50 million transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea, a club where he feels he will play "at the level I am supposed to" at the "kind of team I like to play for".
The Spaniard, who became disheartened with life at Anfield having seen two managerial changes and the club taken over in a five-year tenure in which he failed to win any silverware with the Merseyside outfit, submitted a transfer request after Liverpool rejected Chelsea’s renewed interest in a bid to force a move to Stamford Bridge.
And having completed his switch to south London, Torres conceded that while the past week had been difficult, he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“I’m so, so happy, I’m so proud to be here, finally, after these tough days of no decision, but at the end of the day I can say I’m a Chelsea player and I’m really happy,” Torres told Chelsea TV.
“It’s been two, three or four very hard days for me, especially for everything I leave in Liverpool, but at the end of day I can say I’m a Chelsea player and I’m really happy.”
Following Spain’s World Cup triumph in South Africa, Torres embarked on a season deprived of Champions League football, with Liverpool having missed out on Europe’s elite competition after a disappointing seventh place finish in the Premier League in the previous campaign, and the striker insisted that the move offered him the chance to play at a level he was unable to reach at Anfield.
“I’m sure I’m taking one of the biggest steps forward in my career, joining a club like Chelsea,” he added.
“I just want to be at the level I am supposed to stay because it is a great club with a great responsibility and everyone is expecting good things from me and I am prepared for the challenge.”
“It’s the kind of team I like to play for,” Torres continued, “because that motivates me.”
“It’s always very tough to play against Chelsea – one of the biggest teams in Europe, always fighting for everything, it’s another step forward [for me] to the top level.
“I think this is the target for every footballer to try and play in one of the top level clubs in the world, and I can do it now so I have to be very happy where I [now] am.
The Spaniard, who became disheartened with life at Anfield having seen two managerial changes and the club taken over in a five-year tenure in which he failed to win any silverware with the Merseyside outfit, submitted a transfer request after Liverpool rejected Chelsea’s renewed interest in a bid to force a move to Stamford Bridge.
And having completed his switch to south London, Torres conceded that while the past week had been difficult, he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“I’m so, so happy, I’m so proud to be here, finally, after these tough days of no decision, but at the end of the day I can say I’m a Chelsea player and I’m really happy,” Torres told Chelsea TV.
“It’s been two, three or four very hard days for me, especially for everything I leave in Liverpool, but at the end of day I can say I’m a Chelsea player and I’m really happy.”
Following Spain’s World Cup triumph in South Africa, Torres embarked on a season deprived of Champions League football, with Liverpool having missed out on Europe’s elite competition after a disappointing seventh place finish in the Premier League in the previous campaign, and the striker insisted that the move offered him the chance to play at a level he was unable to reach at Anfield.
“I’m sure I’m taking one of the biggest steps forward in my career, joining a club like Chelsea,” he added.
“I just want to be at the level I am supposed to stay because it is a great club with a great responsibility and everyone is expecting good things from me and I am prepared for the challenge.”
“It’s the kind of team I like to play for,” Torres continued, “because that motivates me.”
“It’s always very tough to play against Chelsea – one of the biggest teams in Europe, always fighting for everything, it’s another step forward [for me] to the top level.
“I think this is the target for every footballer to try and play in one of the top level clubs in the world, and I can do it now so I have to be very happy where I [now] am.
Our 
provides the best breaking news online and our 
football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!
provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!Inside Goal.Com
-
Euro 2012 Group D: Stats to keep at your fingertips
With the final edition of the statistical overview, we take a look at hosts and heavyweights in Group D
-
Blast from the Past - Euro 1976 Final: Czechoslovakia 2(5)-(3)2 West Germany
This edition of Blast from the Past brings a highly eccentric clash between Czechoslovakia and Germany in the Euro 1976 Final.
-
Blast from the Past - Euro 1972 Semi-finals: Belgium 1-2 West Germany
In the latest piece of Blast from the Past, Goal.com takes a look at one of the best matches for the tournament's 1972 edition...
-
Poll: Who will be most missed at Euro 2012?
Several key players from the top teams in the competition will be absent from the Poland and Ukraine, but Goal.com asks whose loss from the tournament will be felt the greatest
-
The list of EPL targets from Euro 2012 Group A
With the transfer rumour mill set to kick into frenzy throughout this month's European Championship, Goal.com looks at which players could be heading for England this summer