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Liverpool were widely linked to a Ferran Torres transfer move over the summer, with the 20-year-old Spanish winger reportedly on their list of options to beef up his front line.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho was also frequently linked to an Anfield trade, with Torres heralded as a cheaper alternative to England’s international, but ended up staying in the Bundesliga.
The Reds ended up hiring Wolves forward Diogo Jota for an initial fee of £ 41 million in his place – roughly double what Manchester City ended up paying for Torres when they bought him from Valencia some seven weeks earlier.
In the latest Behind Enemy Lines podcast, on the Blood Red channel, Simon Bajkowski, a Manchester City reporter for the Manchester Evening News, explained the impact the Spaniard has been having so far with Torres in good shape heading into the game of the Weekend.
He said: “City were very, very, very happy to get it for £ 20 million upfront over the summer. They had liked it for a while, like many clubs, and they had been watching it for a while.
“They took advantage of the fact that they only had one year left on their contract and Valencia were not in good financial shape, so they needed a fee.
“He wasn’t used much before the international break in October, but he did score goals and assists, and they have used him in the role of center forward with Gabriel Jesús and Sergio Agüero out.
“Create chances and get goals and assists, and that’s ultimately what you want from the person who is higher on the pitch.
“He is very good technically and is learning fast.
“He has played himself in contention for the Liverpool game, where at the beginning of this series of games, he would not have been in the team.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him line up to the right and give the team that direct threat that Leroy Sane used to have.”
Playing down the middle instead of his usual wide spot, scoring and assisting more freely than anticipated, and getting into the team faster than expected after being signed over the summer, Torres certainly sounds familiar.
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Liverpool rookie Jota, who will be hoping to start his starting role at Etihad Stadium after his weekday hat-trick, has seven goals this season since signing with the Reds.
Torres is three years younger than Jota and has four goals and one assist in all competitions so far for his new team, slightly less than the seven goals contributed by the Portuguese, but the similarities are clear in how their careers have started.
Jota was brought in to Liverpool to add depth, while City needed Torres to replace the late Sané, who signed for Bayern Munich after rejecting a contract extension in Manchester.
Sane has caused Liverpool a lot of trouble in the past, but now it will be Torres who is looking to give the Reds behind a headache.
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