• Premier League

Torres takes parting shot at Liverpool

ESPNsoccernet staff
February 1, 2011
Sections of the Liverpool support will not remember Fernando Torres fondly after all, it seems © PA Photos
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New Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has spoken of his delight at securing a move to Chelsea, but may have angered Liverpool fans with his comments on signing for Chelsea - saying he has now joined "one of the top clubs in the world".

Torres, a British-record £50 million capture, was idolised by Liverpool fans, but his suggestion that Chelsea are a bigger club than Liverpool will not go down well on Merseyside.

Angry fans burned Liverpool shirts with Torres' name on the back outside the club's Melwood training complex on Monday night, while a picture was torn in half and left on the ground.

Torres could come up against his old side as early as Sunday when the two teams meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. He will not be considered for Chelsea's trip to Sunderland on Tuesday.

"It's the kind of team I like to play against. It's the kind of team I want to play for,'' he told Chelsea TV. "It's always very tough to play against Chelsea - one of the biggest teams in Europe, always fighting for everything.

"This is the target for every footballer - to try to play for one of the top clubs in the world and I can do it now. I have to be very, very happy as I am.

"It's my dream to win the Champions League and I'm sure I can, playing for Chelsea. I think all my team-mates share that dream with me and hopefully we can.

"I am a big fan of all of the Chelsea strikers. When I was very young I remember Anelka was playing for Arsenal. It's the kind of football I like to play.

"Obviously Drogba is the best striker in the world by far. It's a big responsibility for me to play alongside them because the level they have is so high.

"I am so happy and so proud to be here, finally, after these tough days. At the of the day I can say I'm a Chelsea player and I'm very, very happy.

"It has been two, three, four very, very hard days for me especially for everything I have leaving Liverpool but I can say I'm a Chelsea player. I'm really happy and I'm sure I'm doing one of the biggest steps forward in my career, joining a club like Chelsea.

"I just want to be at the level I'm supposed to stay at. It's a great club with a great responsibility. I'm prepared for the challenge.''

David Luiz, 23, like Torres signed a five-and-a-half-year deal and said on Chelsea's website: "I am delighted to be joining a big English club, and I know very well the quality that Chelsea has.

"It is a major challenge for me but I am determined and confident in my ability to adapt to this excellent league, and I look forward to meeting my new team-mates.''

Luiz will not be eligible for the Blues' Champions League knockout stage campaign after featuring for Benfica this season.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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