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If the enormous transfer fee put an inconceivable amount of pressure on Torres’ shoulders to perform, the timing of the move only made it worse. Chelsea were first linked with the striker a few days before the end of the January transfer window, seeing their initial £40 million bid rejected by Liverpool. With Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka struggling for goals in the Premier League, the London club knew they were in need of a striker, so why they left it so late to begin negotiations remains an enigma. It took until almost the final minute of the final day before Torres finally concluded his move, with the player reportedly being forced to hand in a written transfer request before Liverpool were willing to sanction the deal.
Having all this happen in such a short space of time must have been quite the shell-shock for the striker, particularly having to make a short notice demand to leave the club where he had been venerated as a hero. That much must be taken as his responsibility, however, as it was his choice to make the move from Liverpool to one of their biggest league rivals. Despite this, moving at such short notice meant he had little time to prepare himself mentally for the move and subsequent consequences. Many Liverpool fans voiced their anger at his perceived disloyalty, even going so far as to burn his jersey outside the club’s training ground.
To make matters worse, his first game for Chelsea was an away game at Anfield, where the stadium which had only the previous week cheered him as their king now roundly booed his every touch and mocked every mistake. Unlike a summer transfer, moving in winter offers no time for the player to adapt to his surroundings and get to know his teammates prior to stepping out on the field with them. The pressure is immediate, only further exacerbating the already heavy burden of the £50 million fee.
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