Most people think it was a bad investment though, u have to look at it from the view that Liverpool only paid 20 million for him and got 81 goals in three seasons, we paid nearly three times that and only got a fraction of that goal return. So far, anyway.

I think he'll get one or two tonight though. He loves scoring in the cups.

I was wondering similar myself actually after watching the new adidas promotions for the 2013/14 kit... I can hardly be the only one to notice the prominence of Torres and the absence of Lampard in it, and while one can read into that what they want, it more made me ponder the marketability and brand value that Torres actually is to RA and the club.

 

Now, Torres is not as impressive a figure as he once was, but he is still and incredibly popular player with huge appeal internationally as well. He's a clean-cut, good looking, well mannered striker that has one two European championships and the world cup scoring in all competetions and 2 finals... he is an internationally well known figure with huge appeal at a time when Chelsea are looking to drive into foreign markets to promote the brand and is young enough still to spearhead that.

 

A few years back he sold more shirts than anyone else in the country, possibly the world, and while Chelsea refused to comment in the last survey on who sells the most shirts now, at the last check it was still Torres. The first year he arrived he sold more shirts in the last half of that season than drogba or lampard (the next two most popular) did in the entire season.

 

Chelsea are now the 4th biggest seller of shirts in the world (after united, Barcelona and real) pushing coming on for a billion units a year and growing. If Torres maintained his popular status and continued to sell like that, selling maybe, 10 to 15% of the shirts (just guessing outloud here) then at 55 quid a pop your actually getting a good chunk of those wages back from him. Through in other merchandise sales and the fact that his popularity makes him a walking talking billboard for the club than I don't know that he doesn't start to seem like a reasonable person to keep around.

 

I dunno, i'm just thinking off my head here and I am no football economics expert by any means.

 

As a player investment... obviously very poor... as a brand investment... he's actually pretty damn good if you ask me.

 

Anyway, feel free to tell me what a crock of sh*te i'm talking... just food for thought for yall!

 

 

Shirt sales? Roman won't like being fourth. You have me worried now. He'll probably go and buy Beckham as well.

Hachejay is right. His shirtsale numbers are probably big. You could take all the plus he makes on the merchandise and minus it from his wages.

I'm just guessing here and throwing crazy numbers but lets say Torres shirts are sold annually for £5mill, Torres' wages are £9,1mill per year that would make £4,1mill which is £79k per week. Who on the squad is on 79k?

Now you can't say wheter those people would have bought a Chelsea shirt if it wasn't for Torres but end of the day Roman looks at those excel-sheets and bases decisions driven by the numbers.

Doesn't make him any less of a flop in terms of football but we don't see the side they see.

Florent Malouda is probably on 79k and he isn't even playing...

So let me get this clear. It doesn't matter that we broke the British transfer record and he has been El Floppo for two years, he is being kept on for the shirt sales?

 

No wonder so many rival fans and the media piss themselves laughing at the way our club is run.

Who would put torres on the back of a jersey nowadays.

Shirt sales???? By that your suggesting these people are non Chelsea fans and are just Torres fans who wouldn't have bought a Chelsea Shirt if Torres wasn't here?.

Or is it more likely they ARE Chelsea fans who would have bought a Chelsea shirt anyway and would have had someone else's, their own or no name on the back so Torres in fact has done nothing to help generate revenue.

 

But he is young and good looking(apparently), maybe we could give Kate Moss a game on the wing or something . I'm more concerned with what a player contributes on the pitch, and even out of form and lacking confidence I expect everyone to give 100% and that hasn't IMO always been the case. You can see his shoulders drop at times in games and you can tell he'd rather be anywhere else other than on that pitch. That's what i don't like. 

You'd be surprised, 8th in PL for 2013: 

 

 

 

Imagine what he was when we first bought him. 

Edited April 11, 201313 yr by CodyBound

So let me get this clear. It doesn't matter that we broke the British transfer record and he has been El Floppo for two years, he is being kept on for the shirt sales?

No wonder so many rival fans and the media piss themselves laughing at the way our club is run.

Who said that? No one is suggesting he is not a flop but if you think PSG bought Becks for his footballing ability you are just too gullible. Always remember this is a business first. Not saying Torres buy was sensible far from it but if you compare him to some mid-priced, average abilty, average looking player the kind we've had tons the pricing might not be too far from eachother in the end.

Torres even being a huge flop for us generates massive amount of interest. Even if he misses sitters people are writing about him around the world.

He has star quality outside football just as Beckham to some extent. In ways Chelsea will gain for that interest towards our player. No one follows a mid-priced squad player outside the hardcore fans of the given club but Torres is followed by football fans and even people who don't even like football.

Is torres really that globally popular ? I cant imagine he's up with the likes of Beckham , messi, ronaldo even drogba.

Is torres really that globally popular ? I cant imagine he's up with the likes of Beckham , messi, ronaldo even drogba.

I bet Atletico, Liverpool and Team Spain fans are the target audience among Chelsea fans around the world. Before moving to Chelsea the man was a huge international star for Spain and pool. I don't think that has changed. Plus i think Chelsea's valuation of him also backs that idea.

I bet Atletico, Liverpool and Team Spain fans are the target audience among Chelsea fans around the world. Before moving to Chelsea the man was a huge international star for Spain and pool. Ii don't think that has changed. Plus i think Chelsea's valuation of him also backs that idea.

Maybe so I know many Liverpool supportters that bought Spain jerseys with torres on the back quite sad really. Considering he rarely starts for Spain and hes not after lighting up the world at Chelsea I can't see how he would still create such a buzz. When he was doing well with Spain and Liverpool I could understand the interest but thats a good while back now.

Are we actually 4th in the world for shirt sales? Find that hard to believe, but stranger things have happened.

my younger sister had no interest in Chelsea till Torres signed for us. She now watches all the games and buys his shirt every season. I know it sounds fickle but you would be surprised how many people start supporting Chelsea/buying shirts etc. as a result of a popular/good looking player signing for a team

Is Torres good looking???? He looks like someone set his face on fire and put it out with a hammer to me!

my younger sister had no interest in Chelsea till Torres signed for us. She now watches all the games and buys his shirt every season. I know it sounds fickle but you would be surprised how many people start supporting Chelsea/buying shirts etc. as a result of a popular/good looking player signing for a team

 

 

How young is "younger"  12? 13?  Sounds like a very weird reason for supporting a football team.

 

Is Torres good looking???? He looks like someone set his face on fire and put it out with a hammer to me!

 

 

I don't find him good-looking at all - prefer something a bit more rugged, but hey it takes all kinds.  Each to his own...

More rugged like Wayne Rooney Moi? Or Carlos Tevez maybe?

More rugged like Geezer!  

Edited April 11, 201313 yr by moi

I can understand a young girl maybe buying a certain players kit because she has a crush on him or whatever but i'm not sure fans across Europe anyway follow players but follow their teams.

RVP is the biggest shirt seller this season, simply he's Utd's major signing and there very well supported and most fans buying their new kit have had his name on it. I think it was 25% of shirt sales or something on that list earlier. But i bet that doesn't mean Utd total shirt sales have gone up by that amount does it. He may sell a few in Holland but most dutch fans will be loyal to whichever team they support at home rather than RVP.

I know its not the same in the far east and someone like Kagawa is probably a money spinner because they dont have major leagues of their own and are more into European football and they do follow their own players out of national pride which i suppose you can understand, i just dont think it works that way across Europe.

But kit makers and sponsors are getting more and more powerful in the game, i remember us getting Ballack and the whole addidas  number 13 thing that went on at the time so maybe there is more to it. Ballack on a free though was a no-brainer it takes a lot of bloody shirts to touch the sides on £50m and £175k per week. 

We don't know the actual numbers so we can all be wrong on either side of the matter but fact is the more we are followed the more money we generate. Torres generates a lot of interest towards our team.

Londonblue this is what I mean exactly. Teenage girls buy massive amounts of junk from any idol they find out. Did they buy Take That records for the music.

BTW TORREEESSSSS!!!!! Nice goal from him.

Dunno what to make of Torres. I just don't. It's like he gets our hopes up and then shoots them down again.

20 goals this season now, yes most goals have been against average sides but it's still nice to see one of our strikers get 20 goals in a season.

 

I wouldn't mind keeping him if it wasn't for his massive wages, but only as a back up striker to whoever we get in next season.

This is the problem we have though. Torres refuses to be back up, he said so last May. If he can't be the main man, he wants to leave. I know Ba has come in, but Torres is still our main guy in Europe.

This is the problem we have though. Torres refuses to be back up, he said so last May. If he can't be the main man, he wants to leave. I know Ba has come in, but Torres is still our main guy in Europe.

 

Well he said he wants to stay so if he wants to stay he will have to realise that he will be 2nd or 3rd choice next season. If he won't accept that then he may as well just leave, i don't think i can take another season of Torres sulking .

He's been doing that for four years!

What a finish that was.