Fernando Torres remains one of Liverpool’s most iconic strikers of the Premier League era.
The Spaniard’s exit to Chelsea undoubtedly soured things for some supporters, but his Anfield legacy is still largely remembered for the electric years he gave the club in a red shirt. Torres was devastating at his peak alongside Steven Gerrard.
However, he may not be helping himself in the eyes of some after what Saul Niguez has now revealed. Whether this was disrespectful to his old club or simply strong leadership at Atletico Madrid is for you to decide.
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Fernando Torres’ response to Saul Niguez pondering a Liverpool move
Torres loved Liverpool, but Atletico Madrid is his club above anywhere else. He came through there, returned there and will always be viewed as one of their defining modern figures. It adds some context to what he told his teammate a few years ago.
Saul was once heavily linked with Liverpool during his time at Atletico. Naturally, when he had the chance to speak to Torres, he wanted to pick the brain of a player who knew Anfield better than most.
Speaking to Diario ABC, Saul recalled asking Torres about life on Merseyside.
He said: “Wow, that was amazing. I remember saying to him in the first few days, ‘Hey, Liverpool wanted me, what’s it like living there?’ And he replied, ‘Shut up, don’t talk about other teams.’
“And I said, ‘I don’t know what to say, you’re my idol and you’re right here next to me.’ It was really hard to build a relationship with him. Little by little he opened up and we have a great relationship now.”
It does not really sound malicious from Torres. It sounds more like a senior Atletico figure making it clear to a younger player that his full focus should be on the club he was already representing.
Still, Liverpool fans may look at it slightly differently. Plenty would have loved to see that same level of fierce loyalty aimed at Anfield during Torres’ own career.
Saul never did end up joining Liverpool. The midfielder came close in 2021, but the Reds ultimately kept their money and went in a different direction. Six months later, Liverpool signed Luis Diaz from Porto. In hindsight, that was probably the right call.
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