Torres triggers €135m manic Monday
Torres and Luiz both beat the 11pm cut-off to join the Barclays Premier League champions, who splashed out an incredible £75m (€87.6m) on the pair.
Striker Torres arrived for £50m (€58m) from Liverpool, smashing the transfer record between British clubs, while Benfica finally allowed defender Luiz to move on in a €29m-plus deal.
But Liverpool moved swiftly to soften the blow of losing one of the world’s top strikers by inking deals with Luis Suarez and late last night, signing Newcastle’s Andy Carroll in a five and a half year deal for €40m (£35m).
The Geordie youngster will be given the iconic No 9 jersey at Anfield.
The deal, a British transfer record for a player before the Torres deal beat it minutes later, catapulted spending on the last day of the window to an astonishing £115m (€135m), and rounded off the month’s spending at over €235m
After signing a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, Spain striker Torres said: “I am very happy with my transfer to Chelsea and I am looking forward very much to helping my new team-mates this season and for many years to come.
“Having played against Chelsea many times since coming to England, and in some very big games I will never forget, I know there are many great players here and I will work hard to win a place in the team.
“I hope I can score some important goals for the supporters to enjoy this season.”
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: “This is a very significant day for Chelsea, capturing one of the best players in the world with his peak years ahead of him.
“We have long admired the talents of a player who is a proven goalscorer in English football and Fernando’s arrival is a sign of our continuing high ambitious. I hope every Chelsea fan is as excited as I am with this news.”
Chief executive Ron Gourlay added: “Signing a player of the stature of Fernando Torres benefits the club on many levels.
“Carlo Ancelotti was keen to add his talents to the squad as we continue our quest for three trophies this season.
“We are delighted we have succeed with that wish, and this signing will undoubtedly aid the club in realising our worldwide potential.”
Meanwhile Liverpool will hope Carroll can emerge as a worthy successor for Torres.
At 22 Carroll has the age advantage over Torres, 27 in March, and although his goalscoring record does not yet match up — with 34 in 91 matches for Newcastle and a brief loan spell at Preston — Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group are investing in the potential of a player who made his England debut last November.
He will form the new attacking partnership with Suarez, 24, whose prolific record in Dutch football — 111 goals in 159 matches — was one of the reasons he was Liverpool’s primary target.
His arrival has been somewhat overshadowed by Carroll’s surprise signing and Torres’ departure but Dalglish was keen for the Uruguay international not to be left out of the spotlight.
“I think he is a top player. He is a fantastic goalscorer,” said the Reds boss of Suarez, who will wear the iconic number seven shirt synonymous with Dalglish the player.
“He’s a good leader and he was captain of Ajax, which is unusual for a forward to be captain — that tells us something really positive about the lad.
“He will come here and we’ll try to get him playing the way he played at Ajax.
“We have to make sure that Luis Suarez, who is a fantastic footballer, is given due credit for coming in and the owners are given due creditfor putting their hand in their pocket.
“Don’t let that be lost with everything else that has gone on.
“He’s someone who’s been on our radar for a while and someone who can only add to this club.”
Dalglish thanked the owners for their huge support in a transfer window in which they had not planned to be that active, if at all, and probably would not have been had they not been forced to sack Roy Hodgson after difficulties on the pitch continued.
The fact the Americans have backed Dalglish so heavily suggests they consider 59-year-old has a long-term future as manager, having initially been appointed until the end of the season.
“The owners have been absolutely fantastic in their support during the transfer window,” said the club legend.
“Our reassurance for the supporters out there is that they are really determined to get the club moving forward and I think a great indication of that is the signing of Luis Suarez.
“It’s not a PR exercise either, it’s a real determination from [the owners] to step forward and move Liverpool Football Club forwards and upwards.
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