Liverpool FC Forum

[Ciggy]

Fernando Torres has hinted that his future could lie elsewhere if Liverpool do not invest in new players this summer.

A muted campaign has seen the Reds struggling to build on last year's achievement of Premier League runners up, with only a fourth place finish and winning the Europa League offering any glimmers of hope for Rafael Benitez's side.

In a bid to stop the rot, Torres has insisted that securing Champions League qualification and lifting silverware would pale in significance if reinforcements are not brought in during the close season.

When asked by Spanish newspaper AS if he would quit Anfield, he said: "It's too soon to talk, I honestly think that we're going to be fourth, but for me Champions League qualification isn't so important.

"The really important thing is that the club makes a big effort and brings in important players, who will improve the quality of the squad.

"We need four or five top-class players to compete, better than we have here, who will make us grit our teeth and do everything we can to try and keep our places.

"Without reinforcements next year we will once again be fighting to be fourth.

"I want to fight next year to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League or the Europa League, but for this there have to be signings."

Torres, 25, has three years remaining on his current deal and insists that he is happy at Liverpool but that normal service needs to be resumed to keep important players at the club and repay the supporters' loyalty.

He added: "There are so many circumstances and so many things that you have to take into account that it is too soon to talk about that. But I have this and three more years of my contract.

"I've left my home and it's clear that I owe Liverpool many things, and I'm very happy here. The fans have treated my like one of their own, but I'm going to think about my future and hopefully it will be here. I think these fans deserve to win.

"Beyond thinking about me, I think the club deserve to get back to winning (trophies), but they know themselves that right now that it's far off.

"The fans are worried about players going, it's a problem when you start to fear that your players are going because you know it's because the club is not moving forward, but I don't think that is going to be the situation here."

[url=http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/128366-fernando-torres-issues-liverpool-fc-quit-threatfernando-torres-issues-liverpool-fc-
ultimatum.html]http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport....um.html[/url]

He said this on monday night on ESPN in an interview that he would look for pastures new if better players where not brought in. Well Nando you may aswell look for a new club in the summer lad, cause better players will NOT be joining us 

[Sabre]

And we can take that ultimatum seriously because he made the same ultimatum to his home club and fulfilled it.

Without money, there are not Torres nor world class players. With or without Rafa.

[bigmick]

After the Aquilani, Keane and Dossena debacles it would be asking a lot of any owners to not only keep the manager but to give him a huge warchest to spend. After his transfer dealings of the last couple of seasons, would you seriously trust him with huge funds because I know I definately wouldn't. In both of the last two closed seasons we have spent in the region of 40 million quid, and still we find ourselves in a situation where Lucas is considered amongst our first choice midfielders and N'Gog is considered second choice striker.

Yes we need investment, but we need to spend whatever money we do have wisely. Having spent the money, we need to actually play the players we have bought (after all, if we don't think they're good enough why buy them in the first place?). When we do play them, we need to adopt a much more expansive outlook.

Lets face it, for all or any of that to happen we need a new manager. Torres is hardly likely to come out and say so, but IMHo when he basically says we haven't got good enough players at the club already it's hardly a ringing endorsement of the manager and his transfer dealings. Get the right man in and back him, it has to be the way to go.

[J*o*n*D*o*e]

why dont players shut the fook up and get on with playing football, im getting sick to the back teeth of players having ago in newspapers and magazines, great player as he is does he think the rest of the current squad and going to be thinking yeah your right nando mate, no because they`ll be thinking is he on about me. great way to build team spirit isnt it by having ago at your team mates.

This can all be done behind closed doors if he isnt happy, he doesnt have to tell the world.

[Ciggy]

Thommo just ripped the owners to shreds on SSN and said Gerrard, Torres & Rafa will all leave in the summer !!!!

Thommo "I can't believe what's happening at MY club"

"MY club is in a mess from top to bottom"

"It breaks my heart"

If only all our ex-reds had your passion and tell it as it is.

[Sabre]

Thommo just ripped the owners to shreds on SSN and said Gerrard, Torres & Rafa will all leave in the summer !!!!

I really hope it's not the case, and I was very happy that the recent renewal of Reina might be the first of many important players committing their futures to this club.

[tubby]

Just look at how different things were  a year ago. If Torres and/or Gerrard leaves it will be a travesty but then how can the owners expect to maintain the image of the club or even sell it if it's best 2 players move on? How the can they expect to make any money even at a minimum level if we lose those 2. We will drop down even further in the league and will end up a mid table side lowering TV money and all other revenue streams.

This is all like a bad dream you just want to wake up from.

[carmonkeycasino]

This is all like a bad dream you just want to wake up from.

That sums up exactly how i feel - a bad dream that i can't wake up from. The situation at the moment is a nightmare.

Rafa has to go, no doubt about it. He has wasted alot of money on second rate players and even when we sell them we only make half back.

We'll probably sell Aquilani for £5 million.

To get back to the original post i think Torres was right to say what he said, we need top class players but given our financial situation and our managers ability to buy decent players i don't think this will happen - so i'm pretty sure Torres, Masch and Gerrard will both be gone come next August...it will be sad if it happens but we have to rebuild - get a new manager like Hiddink or Mourinho (i wish).

[carmonkeycasino]

Just looked at the scores now 3-1 to Spurs.

4 points behind Tottenham with 9 games to go...1 point behind City who have two games in hand...and 3 points clear of Villa who have about 20 games in hand...

[tubby]

Rafa does need to shoulder some blame for things but in the context of the situation he is the least of the clubs worries right now. He is still committed to the cause so he should be left alone right now. Rafa or not though if we do not get this financial situation sorted then it will be game over for us.

I just cannot understand why they persist in hanging onto the club. Are they thinking that if they claw onto us that we will suddenly start winning tropheys?

If we went bankrupt what exactly would happen to Hicks on a personal level? Can he just walk away and start from scrath whilst the club suffers or will he be forced to pay out of his own pocket?

The closer we get to the end of the season with things as they are the more pressure will surley be building on those 2.

Heimdall you and others mentioned you thought that if Rafa went and another manager came in he could do a lot better with the same players as current? What now is your response to the comments from Torres? 

[Aussie Style]

Well he didn't leave his boyhood club to come fight for 4th place did he? He's also a player that deserves the other striker at his club to be an Ibrahimovich or a Pato not Ngog! He deserves to have Messi, Iniesta, Xavi or Pirlo and Ronaldinho feeding him the ball, not bloody Lucas and Kuyt! As much as I never wanna see him leave, ever, I wouldn't blame him if he left. He deserves nothing but absolute success, even if it's not with us.

[tubby]

We waited so long to have a class striker at the helm after Fowler and Owen and just when we get one settled in we have to face up to the prospect of giving him up. What a shame this will turn out to be if it happens.

[carmonkeycasino]

Torres is a model professional - respects the club, respects the fans and respects himself - hence if he does leave i'm in the same boat as Aussie Style, he deserves the best!

[Aussie Style]

Jeez mate I thought my 250 posts in 2 years was slow going..your on 34 posts after 4 years! Dont be shy son haha

[fivecups]

If we went bankrupt what exactly would happen to Hicks on a personal level? Can he just walk away and start from scrath whilst the club suffers or will he be forced to pay out of his own pocket?

My understanding of this was that the debt which is stifling the club so much is in a company called Kop Holdings which is effectively the club.

As far as I can see these American are stereotypical business fat cats. The dollar is the ONLY thing that matters, the only thing they understand. They care nothing for the club, it's history or it's fans. They are experts in business and debt leverage.

They conned the current owner with their spin and bought the club with borrowed money. They very quickly raised as much money from their ownership of the club as they could, a huge sum in an era of questionable business practice. They paid off their own loans and put all these new loans on the club creating huge debt and huge interest payments. If the club does well, prospers, get back to it's glory days, they profit. If it doesn't and declines into midtable mediocrity or worse, collapses into an uncontrollable nosedive and goes into administration then the club is bankrupt, not the owners.

That is how I see the tragedy of allowing the current owners anywhere near our club.