Avram: Torres was Chelsea target

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Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has revealed he attempted to sign Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid during his tenure at Stamford Bridge. The Israeli, who guided Chelsea to second place in the Carling Cup, Premier League and Champions League in 2007/08, was sacked at the end of last season, with the Blues appointing former Portugal national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari as his successor. However, the ex-Portsmouth director of football has claimed that Torres - who joined Liverpool for £26.5 million in July 2007 and went on to net 33 times in all competitions for the Reds last season - was a target for Roman Abramovich's Blues.

“He’s one of the best strikers I have ever seen and I tried very hard to get him at Chelsea,” he told the Daily Mail.

And Grant - who has been linked with a return to Premier League management with Portsmouth since his Stamford Bridge sacking, was also complimentary of Torres’ partnership with Liverpool team-mate and England midfielder Steven Gerrard.

“Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard work brilliantly together and even when Torres is not at his best, he can still produce a great goal out of nothing.”

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Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.