3 days ago
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Liverpool are on the brink of clinching a $169 million deadline day deal for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak following a transfer saga which has dominated the summer window. Isak, 25, made it clear he wished to explore his opportunities away from St. James' Park, has been training alone at Newcastle and even released a stunning statement over his future.
His situation somewhat mirrors that of ex-Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, who became a Kop hero after his move from Atletico Madrid in 2007. But following three-and-a-half years on Merseyside, he moved to Chelsea in a then-record $67M transfer in January 2010.
Torres' exit from Liverpool, like Isak's from the North East, was fractured. Although Torres never refused to play for the club, he expressed a desire to leave.
Later, Torres accused Liverpool of trying to portray him as a "traitor", with fans angry at the star – something Isak has also experienced, reports the Mirror.
Torres, who hung up his boots in 2019, insisted his hand was forced when it came to changing clubs. He suggested Liverpool, under the new ownership of Fenway Sports Group, formerly New England Sports Ventures, were more focused on recruiting young talent for future success rather than securing ready-made stars to secure instant success.
"[Damien, former director of football strategy at Liverpool] Comolli told me that the new owners, they had an idea of how to spend their investment," Torres is quoted as saying in Simon Hughes' 2016 book, Ring of Fire: Liverpool FC into the 21st Century – The Players' Stories.
"They wanted to bring in young players, to build something new," Torres continued. "I was thinking to myself, this takes time to work. It takes two, three, four, maybe even 10 years. I didn't have that time.
"I was 27 years old. I did not have time to wait. I wanted to win. Here we are five years later and they are still trying to build – around the same position in the league as when I left.
"It was portrayed as if I was a traitor. It was not like this in the discussion(s). Liverpool could not admit they were doing something wrong with the whole team. They had to find a guilty one."
Before Liverpool agreed a fee with Newcastle for Isak, Jamie Carragher, former Reds defender and ex-team-mate of Torres, drew parallels between the situations of the ex-Spanish international and the Swedish star.
He cautioned the Magpies about retaining the striker against his will, warning it could sour the atmosphere in the dressing room.
"It is a cloud over the club constantly. We had this with Fernando Torres at Liverpool, where he did not really want to be at the club," Carragher said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
"He ended up staying and we sold him in the January. Those four or five months were a nightmare for the club and everyone could not wait for him to move on. It is similar to Newcastle.
"So it is not just me having a go at Newcastle and wanting their player to come to Liverpool, I have experience of that situation and when you have a player who does not want to be there it can be an absolute nightmare."
Torres scored 65 times in 102 appearances for Liverpool but failed to win any trophies while on Merseyside. He went on to win the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League at Chelsea, however, he only scored 20 goals in 110 matches for the Blues.
Relations between Torres and Liverpool later healed with the iconic striker invited back to play in a charity match. The now 41-year-old told official club channels in 2019: "I’m really proud to say I will support Liverpool forever, it doesn’t matter what happened."
Liverpool are expected to announce the signing of Isak on Monday evening after the Swede completes a medical. Arne Slot looks to have bolstered his backline too with the Reds agreeing a £35m fee for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, although Palace are still in the hunt for a replacement before a move can take place, ahead of the deadline.
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