/ 21 May 2012

Torres weighs options as Chelsea basks in glory

Fernando Torres of Chelsea looks on during Uefa Champions League final between Bayern Muenchen and Chelsea.
Fernando Torres of Chelsea looks on during Uefa Champions League final between Bayern Muenchen and Chelsea.

The £50-million Spaniard, who hit just six league goals this season, told Spanish sports newspaper AS that he was extremely disappointed not to be in the starting line-up for Saturday’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

He added that he wants clarity over his role in the team.

“This season I have felt things that I hadn’t felt before. I feel that I have been treated in a manner I did not expect, not the way they said when I signed for the club,” Torres said.

“We have had many conversations and now the season is finished we will talk to see what happens with my future because what I have gone through this year is not the role for which I came.

“There have been many highs and lows, many times I felt lost. I wasn’t sure what to do, I felt like I didn’t know where to be.”

Challenging year
Torres was an 84th-minute substitute at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, earning the corner from which Didier Drogba equalised but did not take a penalty in the shootout.

Despite his limited contribution in Saturday’s showpiece, Torres admitted Chelsea’s improbable run to the Champions League title helped soothe his personal pain after a challenging year with the west London outfit.

“A victory like the one in Munich makes up for it but I want someone to tell me what will happen in the future,” he said.

“Right now I feel that football is worth it but I have been through some very bad times, the worst of my career. I don’t want to relive them.”

Torres joined the Blues from Liverpool in January 2011 but has struggled mightily to find his best form since moving to London.

The striker found the back of the net just 11 times in all competitions this season and at one point endured a goalless drought of 25 hours before scoring twice in an FA Cup tie against Leicester in March. – Sapa-AFP