Will the Torres gamble work?

Chelsea go into the new season as the Premier League’s biggest gamblers; and not just because of the money spent on expensive young players such as Oscar and Hazard who may or may not adapt to the rigours of English football — and not even because of owner Roman Abramovich’s decision to give Roberto Di Matteo an extended spell as manager after lifting the Champions League trophy last season.

What will worry punters at Stamford Bridge the most this season is a decision to take Chelsea’s precious gambling chips and place all of them, with alarming over-confidence, on number nine.

That number, of course, belongs to Fernando Torres — and with Didier Drogba departed to chase the big money in China, Chelsea’s title hopes now depend almost entirely on the frustratingly inconsistent Spaniard when the roulette wheel starts spinning in earnest this weekend.