Liverpool FC Confirms Fernando Torres Transfer Request Rejected

Read More: Fernando Torres (F - Spain), Chelsea, Liverpool

Liverpool FC has confirmed that Fernando Torres has handed in a transfer request. They've also confirmed the request has been rejected, alluding to a commitment to club and fans Torres made when signing his contract at Anfield.

Per the club's website:

The Club said in a statement: "Fernando Torres tonight submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool.   

"Fernando is under a long-term contract and the Club expects him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement."

It's a curious, defiantly worked statement. The allusion to a commitment to supporters is incendiary, whether you buy into such things or not. Where a statement confirming the transfer request was unnecessary, Liverpool has gone public but proceeded in an attempt to rally their supporters around their cause. That cause, implicitly stated on their web site: Fernando Torres is turning his back on us. He's turning his back on you, and you should know about it.

It's a class move. You have a player who, to this point, has stuck with the club through near administration, through a severe dip in competitiveness, through chaos in training staff, boardroom and ownership. Only when the chance to jump to one of the biggest clubs has been confirmed does he ask Liverpool to pursue a sale, and rather than quietly tell Torres they have no interest in doing so, Liverpool's taken to print.

Best case scenario for Liverpool, at this point, is they sell Torres for a mint. The other option: Keep a disgruntled player who is standing on a bridge you've just set ablaze. And the longer they keep him standing there, the less likely he is to try and replicate his best form, which will then send his value lower.

This is generally why you sell people when they don't want to play for you, when you can still make your money back. With Chelsea's offer, Liverpool would stand to make a nice profit on Torres. Lucky for them, their beguilingly petulant behavior is unlikely to drive Chelsea away. Unfortunately, Liverpool seems intent on doing just that: Driving Chelsea away, keeping a player whose head is turned.