According to the Italian sports daily Tuttosport, Inter have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Chelsea flop Fernando Torres on loan next season.
It is common knowledge that Inter are in the market for a big name striker this summer and it looks like they will do former boss Jose Mourinho a favor and take the misfiring Spanish striker off his hands.
Mourinho has made it well known that he is not a fan of Torres and that he wants to bring in a big name striker like Diego Costa this summer. The problem Chelsea have in trying to sell Torres is that the 30-year-old’s salary is out of reach for all but a few clubs in Europe. So if the Inter board have agreed to a deal for Torres, then I can only hope (assume) that Chelsea are picking up the majority of his £175,000 a-week wages plus image fees.
The question is whether this is a good signing for Inter or not, even if Chelsea are paying the majority of his wages? Is the 2013-14 version of Fernando Torres better than Rodrigo Palacio or Mauro Icardi? I don’t think it is.
When Torres was at Liverpool his electrifying pace terrified defenders and he made a living playing off the shoulder of the last defender. Then he hurt his knee and lost that pace that made him special. The pressure of the big transfer fee was too much for him at Chelsea, where his lack of technical skills made it difficult for him to adapt to Chelsea’s style of play.
And that is what worries me if he joins Inter. Torres has 9 goals in 35 games for Chelsea this season. There has been nothing in his play the last three season that indicates that he will be able to regain his form in an Inter shirt.
To me, this is not a good signing. It reminds me of the Diego Forlan deal. A big name sticker who is passed his best. And we all know how that turned out.
What do you think of Fernando Torres? Is he what Inter needs?
