Fernando Torres Rumors: Arsenal Would Be Foolish to Make Move for Striker

Maybe years of watching stars leave rather than acquiring them has left Arsenal at a loss for identifying big name players worth adding?

Unless recent reports are way off base, I don't know how else to explain the latest rumors connecting Arsenal to Chelsea forward Fernando Torres. 

Dean Jones and Dave Kidd in writing for The Mirror passed along this surprising piece of information:

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants to bring Fernando Torres to the Emirates, write Dean Jones and Dave Kidd of the Sunday People.

And Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is ready to let the Spaniard leave.

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The report doesn't get overly deep into Arsenal's thinking behind this possible move other than to say: "The ambitious Gunners board are desperate for star signings after years of letting their biggest names leave."

I admire their hunger for a "star signing," however, I am baffled by their evaluation of a star. 

When Torres was scoring 24 league goals for Liverpool in the 2007-08 campaign, he definitely would have a qualified for star status. However, it would be hard to justify giving him that status now. 

He's been a shell of his former self since joining Chelsea. Yes, he had 23 goals in all competitions this year, but only eight of those came in EPL play. And Torres is fresh off a run in the Confederations Cup with Spain that yielded similar results. 

Torres took the Golden Boot award, per Yahoo! Sports, with five goals in the tournament. However, all of those goals came in the group stage. Also, four came in one match against Tahiti, and Tahiti was essentially handing out goals to anyone who could kick. 

So, Torres is proving efficient against lesser competition, yet coming up empty when it matters most. This is not the mark of a star player. Nor is this the kind of "star" player that Chelsea needs to add. 

Also, I find it hard to believe Torres will be available at anything approximating a value.

Jones and Kidd report that "Jose Mourinho is ready to let the Spaniard leave," but that doesn't mean Chelsea will let him go cheaply. Considering what Chelsea forked over to land Torres, they won't want to unload him at a bargain. 

Torres still has value, and he is just 29, but he certainly shouldn't be considered the answer to the Gunners' pursuit of adding star power.