Fernando Torres vs Andy Carroll; Didier Drogba vs Luis Suarez
Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel combined fetched the Reds £56m in transfer fees which left them almost breaking even with their purchase of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll at £22.8m and £35m, respectively. The Reds would have loved to have Charlie Adams but Blackpool’s bid of £14m was a bit too high.
Torres, the Liverpool want away’s new address is Stamford Bridge. At £50m he became the most expensive player purchased by an English club.
The Blues also secured the services of David Luiz from Benfica for £26.5m. The central defender’s move hit an impasse which was finally broken when Chesea added Nemanja Matic, the highly regarded Serbian midfielder as a sweetener.
The two clubs splashed a record breaking £134.3m in transfer fees on the last day. This coming Sunday provides an instantaneous litmus test as Torres, the new Chelsea number 9 faces off against his old club alongside Didier Drogba. His opposite number Andy Carroll also takes the field with new strike partner Luis Suarez. Who will come out on top?