What does Fernando Torres' signing mean for Atletico Madrid?

Fernando Torres with his new teammates at Atletico Madrid during a training session

The transfer window is upon us yet again. The footballing world is ripe with rumors and speculations of possible deals which could mean a change in fortunes for players and clubs alike. Fans are holding their collective breath in anticipation of big signings which could spell a better second half of the season for their teams.

A similar atmosphere has descended upon the Calderon in the past week with the return of Fernando Torres expected to be nostalgic, filling the fans with optimism. Torres will be on loan at Atletico until the end of the 2015-16 season.

It was at the tender age of 13 that Torres joined Atletico’s youth system, going on to make his debut for the first team at 17. An eternity seems to have lapsed between the day he first played in the red and white jersey and now. Today, we bear witness to a Fernando Torres, who is going through a lull in his career. The Torres of present day is in stark contrast to the young lad in 2001. A lot of events have transpired in the 13 years since.

Moving on following Atletico’s struggles

Atletico suffered through their worst nightmare in 2000, a year before Torres’ debut, when they were relegated to the second tier of Spanish football. The club spent two seasons in the second division before they were promoted. The next five seasons Torres played at the Calderon saw him find the net 75 times. Following 7 adventurous seasons in the red and white of Atleti, Torres decided to move on, declaring that Atletico was not the club which could offer him the development he desired as a football player.

The past decade has shown us that Madrid’s fortunes have started to look up while Torres’ have taken a turn for the gloomy. The club, under the leadership of Diego Simeone have outdone their strongest skeptics. The Copa del Rey success in 2013 announced them domestically while the two Europa League title winning campaigns in 2010 and 2012 established them in Europe.

Last season’s league success finally put an end to the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid have earned a reputation of honing and developing great strikers who, after service to the club, wander off in search of greener pastures in different leagues around the world.

Players such as Diego Forlan, David Villa, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and Diego Costa have led the attack for the Los Rojiblancos. Torres deservedly belongs to this esteemed company as his performances for Liverpool, after departing from Atletico, showed he was right to move on.

If the performances for Atletico made the world take notice, Torres’ displays for Liverpool placed him alongside the best strikers in the world. Having scored 81 goals for the Merseyside club before departing to Chelsea in search of trophies, Torres was an established name in the world of football.

His time at Chelsea was not to be quite so memorable though. He was part of a formation which did not operate in a way similar to how he was used to playing at Liverpool. The numbers dropped and he did not have the eye for goal anymore.

Torres and Atletico need each other

With the current La Liga season perfectly poised for a thrilling title race in its second half, Torres’ arrival will surely make an impact. Despite playing second fiddle during his time at Chelsea and AC Milan, the striker should not be underestimated. At Liverpool, he lacked a quality squad which could challenge for titles.

Chelsea, on the other hand, did not provide him with enough game time to showcase his talents and when he was given the chances, he fluffed his lines. Atletico will provide Torres a perfect environment as they are playing for title contention, will have ample use of his abilities and are his hometown club.

The weekend fixture against Levante could double up as the Spaniard’s second debut for Atletico. The defending La Liga champions have managed to score just 31 goals this season in comparison to the 55 scored by league leaders and city rivals, Real Madrid. Mandzukic and Griezmann have not yet broken into double figures in their respective goal-scoring tallies, so Fernando Torres could definitely bolster the attack for Diego Simeone.

Levante have shown many defensive frailties this season and if Atletico exploit the gaps at the back to take a comprehensive lead, Simeone could bring Torres on from the bench. His performance up top alongside Mandzukic or Griezmann could potentially help the manager decide on his best attacking partnership. Torres’ quick settling into the Atletico system may see him become a crucial member of the squad in the weeks to come.

The next two weeks will be season defining ones for the big three of Spanish football. The Madrid clubs faceoff twice in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, knowing fert well that victory will clear the path to silverware. Sandwiched between the two Madrid derbies, Atletico have to face Messi & Co. The clash against Barcelona will alter the title equation yet again.

Torres’ arrival could go right or wrong. The fans in the Calderon naturally hope for the more optimistic possibility. They expect the prodigal son to help them bag victories against their arch rivals Madrid and move up the table scalping Barcelona.

Can Fernando Torres set the league alight? He just might. The move back to his childhood club might see the spark return. The man who was affectionately named El Nino could re-discover the joy of playing the game, and get back the happiness which seemed to have abandoned him in the past three seasons. In that case, the La Liga BBVA should well and truly be afraid of El Nino’s devastating effects.

Edited by Staff Editor