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.”