Next Season Will Be Make or Break for Fernando Torres at Chelsea

Deja vu. Look it up in any decent dictionary and you'll read a definition along the lines of it being a new situation one suspects they have already experienced before. There will also will be an image of Fernando Torres.

Will he leave, won't he leave? Is Torres back to his best? Does he figure in the latest Chelsea manager's plans?

It's a never-ending saga where the Spaniard is concerned, and if football fans in general are growing tired of hearing the same rhetoric being played out, think of the man who is the subject to countless column inches being filled with tales of what his future holds, or doesn't in some cases.

For better or worse, where his Chelsea career is concerned, it will soon be over for Torres, however. With Jose Mourinho returning to Stamford Bridge this summer, attempting to rebuild the club to its former glory during his first spell, this really is the Last Chance Saloon. Torres either becomes the £50 million player Chelsea signed from Liverpool, or he is shipped out.

Should he be worried, though? Not just yet.

Similar to last summer after the European Championships, Torres reported to preseason training this week with another Golden Boot to add to his ever-growing list of accolades—this time that of the Confederations Cup.

The Blues are yet to sign another striker to bolster their ranks, and while they are continually linked with Wayne Rooney (via Evening Standard), the Englishman's proposed transfer is no closer than it was when the news first broke in mid-July of an official bid for the Manchester United star (via BBC Sport).

Romelu Lukaku will provide competition for places, sure, but will Mourinho be willing to put all his faith in a player barely out of his teens? It's unlikely, which means with Demba Ba the only other player he has to contend with, Torres remains Chelsea's No.1 for now.

His form continues to build, too. He bagged five goals in the Confederations Cup for Spain this summer, and we saw the spark that returned for the Blues at the back of last season as he finished 2012-13 with 23 goals to his name.

Torres' solo effort against Benfica to help Chelsea lift the Europa League trophy in May was sublime and—forgive me for dredging up another Torres-related cliche—harked back to the days when he was one of the world's most feared front men.

What's become apparent more than ever since he joined Chelsea is Torres' dependence on his confidence. Every player thrives on it, but Torres has shown a tendency more than most to allow his form to hit incredible highs and worrying lows whenever he hits a peak or trough.

If he can combat that debilitating factor, he will flourish. And he has to.

When the goals start flowing, Mourinho will romance him like no other. At 29 years old, though, he doesn't have time to rebuild what was once there. He doesn't have time to show potential. Torres must deliver now and if he doesn't, Stamford Bridge will appear very quickly in his rear-view mirror as he heads out the door—possibly to the Mestalla and Valencia, according to The Guardian.

Will he, won't he? There's that question again. Now all we can do is sit back and observe for one last time.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes