So now Demba Ba’s a Chelsea player, where does that leave Fernando Torres?
On Friday, after weeks of speculation, Chelsea completed the signing of Newcastle’s Demba Ba for only £7.5 million. The 27-year-old had scored 13 goals in 20 appearances so far prior to his arrival, and might be just what the Blues need to aid them in their strike-force woes as they attempt to climb back up the PL table.
Up until his transfer, Ba had scored nearly 50% of Newcastle’s 27 goals this season, an incredible feat only surpassed by Zlatan Ibrahimović for PSG (even Lionel Messi, despite his massive goal haul hasn’t matched that with Barcelona).
The Senegalese striker had what can be best described as a dream debut, scoring 2 goals in a 3rd round FA Cup match today to help his team to a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Southampton and help them along in their attempt to defend their title claim.
Interestingly, while Ba was getting adjusted to his new squad and opened the scoring in the 35th minute after newly-promoted side Southampton had gone ahead in the 17th, Fernando Torres was on the bench for the entire game. After scoring a double in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Sunderland on December 8 (finally ending his 8-game drought without a goal in the league), he seems to have fallen back into the rut that characterized much of his performances over the past 2 years since his record-breaking £50 million transfer from Liverpool.
The departure of Didier Drogba for the Chinese Super League was supposed to be the Spaniard’s chance to shine, but he has again failed to impress this season, in particular in big game matches when the Blues desperately needed someone to step up and lead the line. And with reports swirling that the London-based club’s still in the market for a new striker (names like Atlético’s Radamel Falcao and Napoli’s Edinson Cavani often come to mind), time may be running out for El Niño to show fans and management alike whether his record-breaking price tag was worth it after all.
by Michelle Bonsu
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