Chelsea’s record transfer – and now AC Milan loanee – Fernando Torres claims that he was not forced out of the Bridge in the summer. The Spaniard insisted that the decision to leave was his own, and not an act of Mourinho, as reports in theLondon Evening Standard claim today.
The £50m man ended his 3 year struggle at Stamford Bridge with a loan move to AC Milan in the summer, where he will see out the rest of his Blues’ contract.
Torres joined the club in January 2011, and has spent much of his time in West London in the media spotlight. The striker netted 46 goals in 171 appearances for Chelsea – inadequate statistics for a player of his calibre, and of course a top Premier League striker.
Reports in the London Evening Standard today state that Torres felt the time was right to leave the Bridge: “Mourinho has always been good to me; the decision to leave was a personal one because I needed more, I needed to feel more important.
“Mourinho and I have a good relationship and still today we continue to talk.”
The Spaniard had a very mixed spell at the Bridge; moving to the club as one of Europe’s hottest talents, and leaving as one of football’s most recognised flops.
The arrival of Loic Remy and Diego Costa in the summer signalled the end for the striker, but he was quick to dismiss a return to childhood club Atletico.
“The return [to Atleti] was out of the question. I said I will not go there to retire, I will go there if I have the motivation to compete, because the Atletico of today is very different to the one when I was there.”
The forward has scored just one goal in seven games at in Italy, but hopes his spell at Milan will be a stepping stone towards a national team recall.
