Liverpool Sign Henderson from Sunderland

22 year old Jordan Henderson has completed a summer transfer from Sunderland to Liverpool. Henderson enjoyed a good run of form during the season, but the transfer of Sunderland's number one striker, Darren Bent, saw the team struggle to gain results. His transfer fee may reportedly rise to £15 million depending on the clauses included in the transfer contract.

I think that Henderson is a great transfer. When he was playing with a great striker, he excelled. Luckily, Liverpool have Suarez and (hopefully) Carrol will hit form, which will give Henderson some attacking outlets to play the ball to. Henderson is a young midfielder with a lot of upside and I expect him to grow a lot under Kenny Dalglish.

Here are some videos of Henderson in action, via youtube.com, that highlight his touch, finishing, and passing abilities.

 

Liverpool: Torres Out; Suarez, Carroll In

Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres has completed a £50 million ($79.5 million) transfer to Chelsea, which is highest transfer fee ever for any English club. Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll move to Liverpool for £22.8 million and £35 million plus add-ons, respectively. Fan reaction to the transfer of Torres to a league rival has been quite negative, with images surfacing on the web that feature 'Pool fans burning the ex-number 9's jerseys in the streets.

Torres has already spoken of his delight with the move to Chelsea, stating that, "It's always very tough to play against Chelsea, they are one of the biggest teams in Europe, always fighting for everything. So after that there is no more to look forward -- it's the top level and this is the target for every footballer."

Harsh words coming from a man that had previously feinted love and admiration for Liverpool, but hardly surprising. He left Atletico Madrid for Liverpool and the higher wages and a chance at Champions League football. Now he has left Liverpool for Chelsea and the higher wages and a chance at Champions League football. It is clear what is most important to the Spaniard.

Andy Carroll

Liverpool scrambled to find a replacement over the last 24 hours, with Newcastle's Andy Carroll being the player that the club decided to bring in on a five and a half year contract. He has the qualities that New England Sports Venture (NESV) designated they wanted in their signings: youth, marketability, and visibility. He is a tall striker that has been on a hot streak this season, netting 11 goals in 19 league games. Carroll has spent the majority of his career in the Championship division, but he has been projected as a star for the future and earned his first cap for England this past December. Carroll will become Liverpool's new number 9 and will have a lot to prove thanks to his hefty transfer price of £35 million, the highest transfer fee in Liverpool Football Club's history.

Unfortunately, Carroll has been quoted as saying that he did not want to leave Newcastle, his boyhood club, and was forced out of the Toon for the money. The Independent reports that Carroll said "I'm gutted to be leaving my hometown club, I was told to go. I didn't want to leave that's why I signed a five-year deal [with Newcastle in October]. I was pushed out of the door." This revelation certainly puts a damper on the new signing. Who knows how this could mentally eafect Carroll's performance on the field.

Luis Suarez is LFC's new number 7

Prior to the Torres saga, Liverpool managed to lure 24 year old Luis Suarez from Ajax to Merseyside on a five year and a half year deal. Suarez was captain of the Amsterdam club and has made 38 international appearances for Uruguay. In 2010, he scored 35 goals in 33 league games on his way to claiming the title of Dutch Footballer of the Year. Hopefully his goal scoring ability translates well to the English game.

In the end, Liverpool must be happy with their lot this January transfer window. Getting £50 million for Torres was a steal as he has not performed well enough over the past two years to justify that amount. While Carroll's transfer fee is somewhat overpriced, his monthly wages will be nowhere near the' £110,000 a week Torres was receiving. So, if Carroll is as good a player at Liverpool project, this transfer will remembered as a fantastic piece of business. Suarez's signing had reignited the hope of the Liverpool faithful and he is seen as a perfect striking partner to the tall Carroll.

The new signings will have a chance to showcase their talents when Liverpool play host to Stoke City this Wednesday.

Liverpool Rejects Torres Transfer Request

Liverpool turned down a reported bid of 35-40 million pounds by Chelsea FC for striker Fernando Torres and, hours later, Fernando Torres filed an official transfer request with the club. Liverpool rejected the request and have asked that Torres honor the final two years on his contract.

Fernando Torres is looking to leave Liverpool

It looked like things had been turning around for Liverpool when they agreed to a 23 million pound deal for Luis Suarez, a player that many projected to be a great partner for Torres. If the Spanish international moves to Chelsea before the January transfer window expires, his first opportunity to play for the Blues will be a February 5th game at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool.

As a fan:
It is hard to not be disappointed with this situation. I remember the excitement of Torres's signing three years ago. I immediately got his name and number on a jersey. Jumping on a player's wagon so early on in his tenure at Liverpool is a very rare exercise for me as I tend to be more conservative with my fandom. Also, the Bounce is one of the best cheers you can find in any sport and really showed the love that LFC fans had for him. Less than a month ago Torres publicly stated that his "head is with Liverpool and saving our season" and that he will "honor his contract" because he is "professional." His biggest folly may be his timing; with only one business day left in this transfer window, we may be scrambling to find a decent replacement. Going to Chelsea will be the worst part of this for me, because they are a league rival and a club that I do not have positive feelings towards. However, getting 40 million pounds in exchange for Fernando would certainly make the wounds heal a little faster. Think about it, that's money we could spend on two or three world class players and we'd also get to offload a player that no longer has love for this club.

Having him stay might be worse than him leaving... the silence at Anfield when he is in possession of the ball will speak a thousand words.