Do The Fire Really Need Torres?

Remember a year ago when Fernando Torres was linked to the Chicago Fire? There really wasn’t anything concrete with the rumor though. It seemed like just another Twitter fantasy. There were some mumblings but nothing as strong as a potential Iker Casillas move. Well, Torres is once again being linked to the club, and he might come as soon as the next transfer window.

There is no denying that Torres was a good player. For country, he has won two UEFA European Championships and a World Cup. If we count his youth exploits, he has won two more UEFA European Championships. He has 38 goals in 110 appearances for the senior team.

For club, he has done quite phenomenal as well. Most notably at Chelsea where he has won the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, and the Champions League. But that’s in the past now, and today he is mostly starting from the bench for Atleti – with only three starts this whole season.

His days playing in Europe is over and you can’t blame him for wanting to come to MLS, but why should the Fire take him?

While the Fire might be reliant on Nemanja Nikolic for most of the goals and even with the loss of David Accam, the Fire still has the firepower….no pun intended. If we include all the Forwards, Attacking Midfielders, and Wingers there are 10 players that could score goals.

The only way the Torres would benefit the team other than shirt sales if he becomes a secondary striker behind Niko. There he can also become an attacking midfielder or dare I say it, the #10 the club desperately needs.

Veljko Paunovic has switched the positions of players around. Most recently with Bastian Schweinsteiger where he has played a more libero role in the previous games. So the only way a Torres acquisition would make sense is if Pauno turns Torres into a #10 that the club needs, and if he does this is only a temporary solution, Torres is 34-years-old. There is still some juice in him left, but he isn’t Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I would be very surprised to see him last longer than one season here in the MLS should he come over.

This is very problematic for the club. Why does the Fire want to chase after Torres and Casillas? Why not spend that MLS funny money on fixing up the holes in the squad first?

However, there is no denying that if Torres and Casillas do don the Red and White in the near future it would be a sight to see. Just a few seasons ago I would never imagine the Fire being linked to these two players. Maybe through a fantasy scenario in FIFA or Football Manager but never in real life.

If for whatever reason the Fire needs another Forward – I hear Mario Balotelli is also available this summer. Just saying.