Source: Daily_Mail
Fernando Torres bid signals sea change at Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti tried to resist the idea but there can be little doubt the swoop for Liverpool's Fernando Torres signifies a drastic change of direction from Roman Abramovich.[LNB]Having watched from afar as Chelsea's campaign crumbled, Abramovich appears to have resigned himself to the idea that Ancelotti's squad still needs his considerable financial clout.[LNB]An experiment to bring through players from the youth team has had mixed results and Torres has been promised a move to Stamford Bridge on the basis that he would be joining a team still capable of competing for Europe's top prizes.[LNB] Change of direction: Chelsea's audacious bid to sign Fernando Torres shows they're not willing to give up on glory just yet torres[LNB]It is a sea change for a club which spent 2010 running scared of UEFA's financial fair play rules and desperate to break even as quickly as possible, stripping back the squad and cutting bonuses.[LNB]Abramovich has swaggered back from his winter break to offer a club record ?35million for Torres and attempt to hustle through a long-running move for Benfica's Brazilian central defender David Luiz.[LNB]Chelsea believe the Luiz deal is still alive, with Nemanja Matic possibly moving in the opposite direction, despite claims from the Portuguese club yesterday that the on-off transfer was dead.[LNB]Abramovich has assured people, who in turn have assured Torres, that he is firmly back at the controls and has a plan in place.[LNB] It includes Ancelotti staying as manager for at least one more season and, should any unforeseen event lead to the Italian's departure, there is another candidate ready and willing to accept the job.[LNB] Waving his money goodbye: Roman Abramovich has had to open his wallet[LNB]There is an ambitious list of transfer targets, including a return for Neymar in the summer, and a 'big personality' lined up to step into the sporting director's role which will be vacated by Frank Arnesen at the end of the season.[LNB]It is not former Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who has rejected the job on account of its complexity and the fact he would not be allowed the freedom he enjoyed at the Nou Camp.[LNB]Abramovich likes to make the big decisions about transfers with the help of his close circle of advisors, leaving the manager to concentrate on coaching and organising those players assembled for him. [LNB] In the dark: Carlo Ancelotti gave little away in his press conference on Friday[LNB]Ancelotti insists he maintains the right of veto, although yesterday he gave a very good impression of a manager who was not fully in the picture about the move for Torres. Lots of shrugging, raised eyebrows and a hint of embarrassment.[LNB] After all, the Chelsea boss spent most of last year talking up the talents of six young players Josh McEachran, Gael Kakuta, Patrick van Aanholt, Fabio Borini, Jeffrey Bruma and Daniel Sturridge and how they would represent the future of the club. [LNB]McEachran has proved an undisputed success and the manager was quick to bring up his name, but Kakuta and Van Aanholt have gone out on loan to garner experience and Bruma could follow. [LNB]Borini looks set to return to Italy when his contract expires in June and Sturridge is about to be offered as part of the Torres package.[LNB]Without writing off his youngsters, Ancelotti has spent the January transfer window talking about the need to recruit an experienced centre back but suddenly found himself on the defensive, fielding questions about how another striker might fit into his rigid formation. A striker, for that matter for whom he has consistently denied any need.[LNB] Write caption here[LNB]Last May, he said: 'Torres is a fantastic player but it's better to grow players of this ability in the Academy.' In July, he said: 'I don't think we need other strikers. We have Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge.'In November, he said: 'We don't really need to have a striker, a fantastic striker, like Fernando Torres. When you have Drogba and Anelka, it's difficult to think about Torres.'Yesterday he said: 'We did not make a mistake,' when asked if it had been wrong to let five senior players leave last summer. And: 'I knew about the bid,' in response to suggestions this target had come from the top. [LNB]Of course Drogba and Anelka have futures at the club, he insisted. [LNB]Vanity signings disappeared from Chelsea with the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko. As a friend and personal favourite of the owner, Shevchenko signed for ?31m in 2006 but it proved a terrible piece of business.[LNB] Future: Despite his advancing years, Didier Drogba is still key to Chelsea's plans[LNB]Since then, new players have generally been recruited with a little more sense and a nod towards the quest for self-sufficiency and Michel Platini's plans to ensure clubs balance their books. But this season's slump has proved a chastening experience.[LNB]As he prepared for today's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Everton, Ancelotti may not have worn the satisfied smile of a man who told you so, but, essentially, his fears have been proved right.[LNB]Privately, he was reluctant to see midfielder Michael Ballack and centre back Ricardo Carvalho go and suspected the young players would need more time before they were ready for the Barclays Premier League. Despite his public comments, he would have liked Torres last summer.[LNB]Abramovich appears to be back in the game and Ancelotti's frown may be explained by his shifting problems. What happens if the Torres swoop fails and he has to motivate four strikers until the end of the season? [LNB] Let me leave! Torres tells Kenny he wants to join Chelsea as Liverpool net SuarezLiverpool seal ?22.8m deal with Ajax to land Luis Suarez... but is Fernando Torres on his way?Torres asks Liverpool to consider Chelsea's audacious ?35m offerAll the latest Chelsea news, features and opinionAll the latest Liverpool news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Frank Arnesen, Michael Ballack, Fernando Torres, Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Roman Abramovich, Nicolas Anelka, Daniel Sturridge, Carlo Ancelotti Places: Barcelona, Liverpool, Italy, Europe
