Perfect 10?

This week we saw a new man inside number 10. It had appeared obvious to many observers that he was destined for it from a very young age, but he finally made the leap into one of the most coveted positions in the world. Yes, Wayne Rooney has a new squad number.

Rooney's graduation into the Manchester United number 10 shirt is first and foremost another wonderful piece of marketing from the Old Trafford club. Right about now parents across the country, and even around the world, will be being pestered by their kids, waving their old 'Rooney 8' shirts in their faces and demanding they fork out another £40 for exactly the same shirt except with a 10 on the back.

Perhaps this is a cynical way of looking at it, but I'm damn sure it's the correct one.
Even so, Rooney will now run out onto football grounds across Europe with that famous number on. The number worn by many of the greats of the game. Pele, Maradona, Platini, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp and, erm, Marlon Harewood to name a few.

The number 10 of course is seen as the artist of the side. Indeed, what we call 'playing in the hole' is much more romantically described as 'the number 10 position' by Europeans. The number 10 is supposed to be the man who can unlock defences with precise through balls and provide that skillful touch that other players lack. So can Rooney do this?

He no longer has that surprise element about him that we all saw when he burst onto the scene with Everton and then to devastating effect at Euro 2004. While that boyish enthusiasm still remains, there were question marks placed against him in some of United's big games last season. Where was he in the FA Cup Final or when Milan hammered them in the San Siro? He scored home and away against Roma but they were his first Champions League goals since his debut hat-trick in the competition in 2004.

But of course, judging Wayne Rooney solely on goals is like judging Gordon Brown's success as a Prime Minister solely on his first day. There is so much more to come.

His ability to terrorise defences both as a lone striker or playing just off a front man (surely his best position) has already earmarked him as one of the most dangerous players in the world. Dare I say it, but he's even mellowed a bit since that World Cup red card a year ago this weekend. His partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, the man who did his best to get him sent off then, was undoubtedly the main reason that United are Premiership champions now.

The expectations placed upon him, which reached overkill at the World Cup, will perhaps now be reduced at club level at least, given that Sir Alex Ferguson has splashed more cash on two of the hottest young talents from Portugal. He is undoubtedly still their main man though, and can be relied upon for more star performances to add to the many we saw last season.

United and their fans will be hoping that the only thing different about Rooney in 2007/08 will be the number on his back. If it is, they'll be glad to pay that £40 for the new shirt.

Sliding Players

Have you ever seen that film Sliding Doors? In it, we see how the life of Gwyneth Paltrow's character would have differed if she'd have caught a train on the London Underground, and if she hadn't. The film splits off into two different stories, one following the Paltrow who caught the train, and one following the Paltrow who just missed running through the sliding doors (see, clever eh?).

We could be about to see the same thing in the football transfer market. The big moves of the last few days could be about to set off a huge chain of transfers that wouldn't otherwise have happened.

Thierry Henry's decision to wave goodbye to Arsenal has left Arsene Wenger searching for a new striker. Reports suggest Wenger is looking at Newcastle's Obafemi Martins, who Sam Allardyce says he is powerless to keep at the club due to a clause in the Nigerian's contract. Should Martins leave, Allardyce is rumoured to be keen on recruiting Eidur Gudjohnsen to replace him, with the ex-Chelsea man now out of favour at Barcelona due to the arrival of, you guessed it, Thierry Henry. And there's more.

Tottenham have bought Darren Bent from Charlton. That arrival has placed doubt on the future of Jermain Defoe at Spurs, with reports linking him to Manchester United. United could sell Alan Smith to, oh let's say Middlesbrough, to raise funds for Defoe. Smith's arrival at Boro could allow the unhappy Yakubu to move back to Portsmouth, who would love to team him up with Djibril Cisse of Liverpool, except the Frenchman seems destined for a move to Marseille. Another club who wanted Cisse were West Ham. Their failure to get him could prompt a move for Craig Bellamy, with Rafa Benitez likely to sell him to raise money for Fernando Torres. Atletico Madrid want Luis Garcia as part of that deal, if Benitez sells him he could move for Barca's Deco, with the Catalans happy to let him go to provide room for Frank Lampard. Confused? You will be.

The transfer rush is about to start, so make sure you're ready for a hectic couple of months.

Gwyneth Paltrow has got a lot to answer for...

Copa Crackers

The Copa America has started, and so far we've had great goals, shocking misses, Brazilian babes in the stands and enough cliches about South American football to make you want to samba dance to the nearest carnival with a Colombian flag painted on your body and wearing a massive hat.

But we love it don't we? Why not stay up half the night and watch Trevor Francis and Lawrie Sanchez mispronounce the name of that Bolivian left back over and over again? Or listen to the commentators talking about a game in Venezuela whilst sat in their cosy London studio, seemingly watching it on a black and white portable. 'Oh and, he's going to book the Ecudorian for diving, er, yes, no, it's a penalty. Penalty for Ecuador, and the Chileans don't like that, no, they're protesting, er, in a sort of wall formation. Oh, it's a free kick, yes it's a free kick. Real chance here for Chile, er I mean Ecuador.'

To be fair though, Sky were never going to fly out their team for a three week jolly in South America were they? They don't even send them out to Spain to watch La Liga. But what is broadcast is enjoyable and a good watch for those counting down the days to the start of the season.

The major drawback of course is the time difference, with matches taking place roughly between midnight and 4am GMT. It is here that you discover just what Sky+ was invented for. You can record the games and then easily skip through the boring bits the next day.

Not that there's been many boring bits so far. We've seen Peru hammer Uruguay, an entertaining draw between hosts Venezuela and Bolivia, Chile beat Ecuador 3-2 with two late goals and a woeful Brazil go down 2-0 to Mexico.

There seems to be a magic spell cast over us when we talk about Brazil. The 'Samba Kings', as they were referred to repeatedly last night, are supposed to be all that's good about football, the best side in the world. Those yellow shirts are supposed to dazzle and entertain us. We look to them for the flair and skill that's missing from our game.

So is it hard to accept that they're just not very good? Mexico were simply better than them all over the park in the early hours of this morning, and but for a shocking miss it would have finished 3-0.

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Kaka were awful in Germany last summer. They are not even at the Copa America, and their replacements haven't faired much better. Brazil had a 20 year gap between triumphs in 1974 and 1994 when they didn't win a World Cup. All the signs are that they could be entering another barren spell.

The champions elect surely must be Argentina, who enter battle against the USA early Friday morning. Their squad reads like a who's who of world football. Crespo, Messi, Tevez, Mascherano, Ayala, Heinze, Cambiasso, Saviola, Aimar. Beat that Brazil.

So set that Sky+ recording now. Or you can put on a pot of coffee and enjoy it live. Either way you have to watch because, to borrow from Sky's cliche book for a moment: this is South American football, and anything can happen.

Au revoir

It's not often that this blog gets all serious and sentimental, but then again there aren't many footballers like Thierry Henry.

As the brilliant Frenchman packs his bags for pastures new in Barcelona, it's time to pay tribute to the best overseas player in Premiership history. Forget that, the best player in Premiership history full stop.

Sure there was Cantona, Zola, Bergkamp, Shearer and the rest, but none of them brought as much to the game as Henry. His pace, power, finishing ability and extraordinary stamina levels marked him out as the benchmark for all 21st century forwards.

Everyone can remember a great Henry goal. Whether it's that stunning looping volley on the turn against Manchester United, those amazing solo runs against Liverpool and Spurs or that run and great finish against Inter Milan.

Now I'm no Arsenal fan, but you don't need to be to appreciate the Frenchman's ability. He repeatedly got standing ovations at grounds like Fratton Park and Anfield, which didn't go unnoticed by the man himself, who last September claimed that Liverpool's supporters were 'awesome,' and if he could play for another English club it would be the Reds.

Henry's departure means that the next few weeks are vital if the Gunners are to mount any sort of serious title challenge over the coming season. Arsene Wenger still has the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie at his disposal, while surely Theo Walcott will play a bigger role in 2007/08. All undoubtedly possess great talent, but none will be able to fill the vast Henry-sized hole that will hover over the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger needs to replace quality with quality. The Arsenal fans will accept no less. But where do you get another Henry?

Knowing Wenger's track record, he's probably already got a young forward that no-one's ever heard of in mind, but surely that's not enough? Henry stated that one of the reasons he's decided to leave was that the club broke their promise to him that big name players would be on their way to North London.

Without the gifted Frenchman, Arsenal have lost their star quality. It's all well and good buying young, inexperienced players, actually it's great, but fans love big-name players, and the Gunners are running out of them.

It remains to be seen for just how long Wenger will stick around for. His contract runs out at the end of the coming season and the general consensus is that he won't renew it.

Without Henry, his job has just got a lot harder. Whoever inherits his Arsenal striking berth has big boots to fill, and a big task ahead of him. Thierry Henry has given the Premiership some wonderful memories, and leaves it a much poorer place.

Rumour has it...

Don't tell anyone, but I've heard an interesting bit of transfer news.

My second cousin twice removed is currently fixing the washing machine of a bloke who used to know the ex-boyfriend of the woman who used to walk Elton John's dogs twice a week. She once babysat for the ex-wife of a former Watford director (bitter paternity battle, he didn't want to go into details) who plays golf once a month with Aidy Boothroyd's father-in-law's father-in-law, who told him that Boothroyd is on the verge of persuading John Barnes to come out of retirement to lead the Hornets' Championship challenge next season. Apparently Boothroyd sees Barnes, 43, as the ideal option for his left wing problems, and is confident of luring the ex-Liverpool and England star back to Vicarage Road.

This, of course, is complete rubbish, but it's probably just as truthful as many of the transfer rumours we read every day.

Yes, silly season is upon us. A time when the world's best footballers are spotted entering training grounds, given tours of stadiums and having medicals all across the country. In this past week it has been reported by certain 'insiders' (i.e. people who know absolutely nothing but like to think they do) that Spanish international striker Fernando Torres had touched down at Manchester Airport, that his agent was at Liverpool's Melwood training ground and that Rafa Benitez and Rick Parry were in Madrid concluding a deal for the player. Now, correct me if I'm wrong fellas, but don't you all need to be in the same place at the same time to sort this mess out? Ever thought of phoning ahead?

It appears that in the summer months, especially those without major tournaments in, there are spies at every international airport across Europe, scanning the terminals for anyone who might look remotely like that £6m French midfielder that Harry Redknapp's got his eye on.

On the face of it, at least the Torres to Liverpool rumour appears to have some truth in it, as it has been widely reported in the national press (although the fact that he's Spanish and that Liverpool are desperately seeking a striker means it doesn't require too much imagination to dream up). As for some of the other rumours we read, where do they come from?

The growth of football websites has led to more and more people preaching their views on the game than ever before (you wouldn't catch me doing that!) and virtually everyone has some crackpot transfer theory they've dreamed up.

Most of these people (me aside obviously) just want to pretend they know what's really going on at the sharp end of football. Hell I do, but I'm not going to pretend I'm best mates with Arsene Wenger's driver or I know the bloke who cleans David Gill's windows.

Do you know any football club directors? I'm beginning to think that I'm the only one who doesn't. I'm thinking about maybe getting a job on one of Roman Abramovich's yachts (he might need a toilet attendant on the fifth floor) to see what I can find out. Of course I'll report back to you first, but for now I've got to go. I've just heard that Diego Maradona has touched down at Newcastle Airport in a black and white shirt saying 'I can't wait to work with Sam Allardyce...'

Sin City?

A former Thai Prime Minister whose time in charge was dogged by allegations of corruption and conflicts of interest, and a former England manager whose time in charge was dogged by Ulrika Jonsson and repeatedly picking Frank Lampard.

Has that got you excited Manchester City fans? No, I'll doubt it has.

As Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly grows ever nearer his proposed (and long drawn-out) takeover of City, he apparently has made clear to the City board that he sees Sven Goran Eriksson as the man to take the club forward. After of course failing to get Claudio Ranieri. And Juande Ramos. And Ronald Koeman. And Ruud Gullit.

Eriksson, without a job since Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty hit the back of the net in Gelsenkirchen almost a year ago, is reportedly keen on a return to club management, but City? The thought of Eriksson being taken into the hearts of the Eastlands faithful is a bizarre one. City fans love to see passion and fight in their managers, just look at their last two. The most action you see from Eriksson in the dugout is his attempts to occasionally swot a stray wasp.

All this depends of course on Shinawatra's takeover. The ex-Prime Minister tried to buy Liverpool when he was still in power in 2004. Chief Executive Rick Parry and Chairman David Moores even went to meet with him, but the deal was called off when fans raised concerns at Shinawatra's questionable human rights record, and the fact that was planning to use the Thai public's money to finance the takeover.

Three years later and where are the concerns now? Shinawatra was overthrown in a coup a year ago and is now in exile in London. His assets have been frozen and if he returns to Thailand he'll be arrested. Hardly the steady, firm hand that Man City want running the club.

If the odd couple of the Thai and the Swede do eventually take the reins at Eastlands, they will face a huge task. City were desperately poor last season, and the style and success of near neighbours United can't have made things any easier.

Eriksson has a good club record, and if Shinawatra is prepared to give him the time and the funds then he could well finally be the one to turn Manchester City from a 'massive' club into a successful one.

I just can't see it though. It might be a little less glamourous but couldn't City just forget the Thai money, bring in a young, hungry manager like a Paul Jewell or Chris Coleman and move on from there? Sure they'll have less money, but isn't that better than having a wanted criminal as chairman? City and their fans might well be about to discover just what the true price of success is.

A Galaxy far, far away

So, as expected, David Beckham sets sail for his new life in America as a Spanish champion, after finally winning his first trophy in four years at Real Madrid last night.

Beckham of course will have to say a rather large 'gracias' to team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes, who struck twice after replacing the former England captain in Real's 3-1 win over Mallorca, a victory that confirmed the La Liga title.

So now that Beckham's career at the top level of European football is over, what are we to make of it?

It is easy to criticise him of course. To label him an overly fashion conscious, media hounding show pony who's only interested in how many pictures of him appear in the newspapers and how many noughts are added to his bank balance. I'll admit I've done it myself from time to time.

But the last few months have seen a new Beckham emerge. Given the cold shoulder by Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello, he has fought back with excellent performances to prove both men wrong. While in McClaren's case he's unlikely to be the last to do so, it showed a new maturity from the 'Galactico.'

It is difficult to evaluate Beckham performances without bowing to the amazing amount of hype that follows the man. If you believed all you read and heard you'd be forgiven for thinking he was the only player on the pitch in the last two England games and that he virtually won La Liga single-handedly. In fact, Real only looked like scoring once he was substituted last night, Reyes adding much needed pace and directness and, crucially, two championship winning goals.

That said, there is little doubt that Beckham played a huge part in Real's success. Once Capello had swallowed his pride and put him back in the side, the steady supply of quality crosses from the right never stopped. For Ruud van Nistelrooy it must have felt like he was back playing in front of Stretford End. He didn't miss then, and he didn't miss now.

John Terry, Michael Owen and, expertly, Peter Crouch were all set up on international duty. All made clever runs for the number seven to find them. But the question is will Landon Donovan and the like make the same runs for Beckham in LA? In short, will he be simply too good for them?

That remains to be seen, but the nagging doubts are there. Has he gone to the great retirement home in Los Angeles too early? Surely he could do a job in the Premiership for a couple of years? Real would certainly love to keep him.

I'm not criticising his decision to move to LA. If someone offered me god knows how many millions to go and live amongst the 'beautiful people' of Hollywood I'd seriously consider it. It's just a shame that we won't see him on the greatest club stages any more. I was beginning to warm to the new Beckham.

Not to worry, I'm sure we'll still see enough of him. He might be off to America, but David Beckham will be an ever-present on our screens for some time yet. He wouldn't have it any other way, and I suspect most of us wouldn't either.

That old chestnut

The Spanish season draws to a close tonight. Real Madrid will wrap up their first title since 2003 if they manage to defeat Mallorca at the Bernabeu, but Barcelona and Sevilla are both in with a chance of snatching the trophy should Real slip up. An exciting end to the season then, and a good watch for people already suffering withdrawal symptoms over the lack of really competitive football on the box.

Spanish football has become hugely popular in Britain. There are usually at least two matches live on Sky every weekend (usually featuring Real and Barca, but not always) and fans here have become hugely familiar with the players and personalities of virtually every club. Scarcely can they settle down to watch Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid without remarking 'Maxi Rodriguez is a good player,' 'how much did Betis sell Joaquin for?' or 'I think we should try and sign that Torres.'

Much of this popularity is down to the exciting nature of the matches. Goals can fly in from all angles, red cards are dished out like confetti and the play flows from end to end. But, and apologies for going over old ground here, is it the best league in the world?

Supporters of La Liga's claim to be the best will point to the presence of the likes of Ronaldinho, Leo Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Raul, Fabio Cannavaro, Iker Casillas, David Beckham, David Villa, Fernando Torres, Daniel Alves and the rest. All star names, all great players, but have they got it easy in Spain?

While no-one can doubt the thrill-a-minute nature of the Spanish league, Real Madrid's matches with Barcelona, Espanyol and Zaragoza this season (3-3, 4-3 and 2-2) have been amongst the best I've seen for a long time, is that down to a slight drop in standards from the Premiership?

La Liga is undoubtedly easier to win. Going into tonight's games Real and Barca sit joint top on 73 points, just five more than Liverpool and Arsenal managed in coming third and fourth in the Premiership, miles behind winners Manchester United.

The likes of Fredi Kanoute, Diego Forlan and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, all considered mediocre strikers in England (Forlan much worse) have proved huge successes in Spain. Sevilla's Kanoute and Villarreal's Forlan are even threatening Ruud van Nistelrooy's position at the top of the scoring charts, the Dutchman proving he can score just about anywhere.

Fernando Morientes, one of Real Madrid's and the Spanish national team's all-time leading goalscorers, was unable to cut it at Liverpool. His class and skill on the ball was apparent, he just couldn't cope with the pace of the Premiership. This season, back in his homeland with Valencia, he has rediscovered his goalscoring touch.

You can't help but wonder what would have become of Ronaldinho had he completed that move to Manchester United four years ago. Of course he'd still be a great player, but at the first sign of any of his fancy flicks and tricks he would surely have been booted into Row D by a Ben Thatcher or Robbie Savage. United of course signed Cristiano Ronaldo instead, who has just as many tricks, but has finally discovered he can be a much more effective player if he cuts down on them and just focusses on running very fast towards goal. Something he's very good at.

I guess that the popularity of Spanish football comes from the fact that it seems to be a less physical, tactical game than the Premiership (something that would explain the drop in Serie A fans). The Spanish game seems more free-flowing, with a greater array of technically gifted players, some of whom, like Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Cesc Fabregas have made it over here to leave a stamp on our game.

Whether La Liga's exciting, end to end style makes it better than the rough and tumble passionate cauldron of the Premiership is still open to question. Frankly, who cares? Let's just enjoy watching the best players in the world doing what they do best, wherever that is.

Money makes the world go mad

It's official, the transfer world has gone mad. As Darren Bent stands on the verge of joining West Ham for a staggering £17m, you can't help but wonder just who sets these inflated prices for today's stars?

I say 'stars,' but can we really call Bent that? With just two full seasons in the Premiership and two England caps to his name, it seems that the Hammers are taking a rather large gamble on the services of a player who at best could only be described as England's fourth choice striker behind Owen, Rooney and Crouch, and messrs Johnson, Smith and Defoe would have a thing or two to say about that.

Indeed, we could be looking at the frankly bizarre situation this summer of Bent moving clubs for more money than Thierry Henry does.

Granted Bent is just 23, Henry 29, but has the Englishman shown enough in his brief top-flight career to suggest that greatness is around the corner? Hardly.

Don't get me wrong, Bent is a good striker, and I wish him well at West Ham if that is indeed his destination, there's talk of a late Spurs bid (isn't there always?) but his transfer underlines the hugely inflated nature of the English transfer market. If Bent was Spanish or Italian, and had made as little an impact on their national side as he has on England's, he would cost less than half of what West Ham will pay.

The money of course comes from biscuit magnate Eggert Magnusson, who, with the appointment of Alan Curbishley and the signings of Scott Parker and now Bent, seems determined to turn West Ham into the new Charlton. So long as they don't start playing that dreadful 'Red, Red Robin' song before games Hammers fans are likely to approve.

More money will doubtless be splashed around the Premiership in the coming days and weeks. Liverpool are yet to make their much anticipated moves, Newcastle will doubtless have their say while Tottenham will of course be linked with anyone and everyone.

Perhaps the most interesting events will occur at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have already signed two players in the close season, Steve Sidwell and Claudio Pizarro both on free transfers. A third, Tal Ben Haim looks set to join; also on a free transfer.

Roman Abramovich to spend no money this summer? Surely all the evidence that's needed to prove that the world's gone mad.

Striker light

So go on then, how much have you put on?

A tenner? £50? More? Well someone somewhere is piling money on Thierry Henry to join Liverpool, causing the odds to tumble from 10/1 to 3/1 and today down to 13/8.

Inside info at work? Or more likely a malicious rumour that’s spread so quickly and wildly that prices have been slashed in order to keep up? As so often in the past, it seems that the bookies will be the ones left with the smiles on the faces when this particular saga comes to an end.

Thierry is more likely to be spotted wandering down Las Ramblas than wandering into The Arkles next season. The slight chance of him joining Liverpool must remain, this is a sport where anything can happen after all, but any move would surely rank alongside the moment Jose Mourinho said ‘we didn’t deserve to win’ as one of biggest shocks of the modern game.

So if Rafa Benitez doesn’t turn to the moodily brilliant Frenchman, what’s he left with? This summer has seen Liverpool linked with almost twice as many players as any other year, you’d need a computer screen as long as one of Peter Crouch’s legs to read them all here.

Fan’s initial wildly optimistic dreams of seeing many of the world’s top superstars queuing up outside the Shankly Gates have been tempered. Samuel Eto’o and David Villa won’t be seen ‘driving into Melwood’ any time soon.

This optimism has been replaced by a sort of bizarre depression. Liverpool’s summer signings so far consist of a Ukrainian forward who everyone appears to have written off already and a young Brazilian who no-one had ever heard of. Everyone seems to feel that the Reds should be out there doing what Manchester United are, namely blowing £50m on two youngsters from Portugal and an England international who everyone thought was crap just a year ago.

Benitez will make his moves when the time is right, but who will he move for?

Robbie Fowler’s exit and Craig Bellamy’s likely departure means that much of the fan’s attentions have turned to who the Reds can bring in to strengthen the forward line.

Eto’o and Villa are now out of Liverpool’s league, Tevez would be a surprise, Henry a shock that would measure highly on the Richter scale. A £16m move for Diego Forlan would leave Benitez open to ridicule, Darren Bent lacks the top-level experience required.

Which leaves us with three names (although three more will probably have been linked by the time you’ve read this).

Real Zaragoza’s Diego Milito came to most people’s attention when he was linked at the same time as Forlan, and he did his stock no harm by scoring twice against Real Madrid that night. While his central defender brother Gabriel has featured prominently on a Benitez shopping list before, Diego was a new name to many.

Bearing a striking resemblance to a young Sylvester Stallone, the younger Milito features prominently in the Spanish goalscoring charts. Incidentally, if Liverpool sign both him and his brother, does Rafa need special permission from their parents?

The second name is a regular feature on most fan’s shopping lists; or rather he used to be. Fernando Torres’ stellar reputation has suffered a bit lately.

It is claimed he doesn’t score enough goals and can go missing at times. In reality he is probably suffering from playing in a desperately poor Atletico Madrid side. The thought of him latching onto through balls from Steven Gerrard and close pal Luis Garcia is surely one to send chills down the spines of the Premiership.

Any fee for Torres would undoubtedly break Liverpool’s transfer record; if he adapts to life in the Premiership, it would undoubtedly be worth it.

The third option would seem, on paper at least, to be the one that makes the most sense. A 27-year-old world class striker, with a brilliant international scoring record and experience at two of the greatest clubs in the world is available for £9m. It’s not really a question is it? Sign him up. Oh, did I mention that it’s Michael Owen?

That shouldn’t make a difference but to some people it does. There are those who have never got over Owen’s decision to leave for Real Madrid in 2004. A strange, bitter feeling has existed over it ever since. Any return for the England man (I had to get it in sorry, it’s the law) would not be met kindly by some, but would with others.

If this were any other summer in Liverpool’s history then the answer would be simple: pick the cheapest option. But the club now have, despite media reports to the contrary, a transfer kitty as big as they’ve ever had.

A move for Owen would make sense, but the next Liverpool number nine may well be residing in a city Owen once called home.

At 23, Fernando Torres has already achieved a great deal in his short career. The next chapter could well be one all Liverpool fans can enjoy.