Chelsea tempted to accept a loss on misfiring striker
Published:An unproductive 31-minute appearance off the bench in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over bottom club Wigan extended Fernando Torres’ scoreless streak since signing for £50 million to ten games.
The man responsible for signing the Spanish striker, Blues owner Roman Abramovich, is already considering getting rid of the expensive flop just months after splashing out on him after 648 minutes without a goal, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The article doesn’t suggest a destination for the 27-year-old though and it’s difficult to see where he could go, as his past undermines Real Madrid and Manchester United as options, Barcelona aren’t in need and he has been dismissive about moving to Italy.
Almost nothing has gone right for the former Atletico Madrid forward since leaving Liverpool but he could still instantly transform the way he is perceived at Stamford Bridge by scoring away to Manchester United in midweek.
The west Londoners’ Premier League title chances were already slim when Torres arrived so the primary reason for the purchase was to boost their Champions League bid, and a goal or two at Old Trafford would certainly achieve that aim.
Chelsea are 9/1 outsiders to be crowned European champions on account of their 1-0 deficit in the quarter-final clash with the Red Devils, but they beat them 2-1 away last season and a repeat of that result would see them through.
Odds of 5/2 are available on the Blues finding a way past the team that defeated them in the 2007-08 Final, and if you believe Torres is going to prove his worth at the perfect moment, he can be backed to score first at 7/1 on Tuesday.
A £20 stake on Torres breaking the deadlock in the second leg would provide a £140 profit. New customers can sign up here to claim a £30 free bet.
