Will Chelsea FC's Fernando Torres Be Loaned to Atletico Madrid?

Fernando Torres returns to the club of his youth this winter?

It's not as crazy as you might think.

The £50 million Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich ponied up last winter for what was supposed to be the glittering jewel of his side's attack has since been dimmed by a combination of poor form and rust.

That inexplicable miss against Manchester United on Sunday aside, Torres has never looked comfortable in a blue kit, no matter how desperately he might want you to believe he does.

As ESPN Soccernet's regular columnist on all things La Liga, Phil Ball isn't one for generating wild speculation.

His is a careful, measured approach, and he possesses a superb knowledge of the Spanish game (if you can find it, his account of the Real Sociedad-Racing Santander rivalry match last spring was a lesson in scene-setting excellence), having lived in the country for years now, following its football.

Hence, this fascinating tidbit of information from his latest piece:

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"...just as ex-Atletico hero Fernando Torres has found out since he was abandoned by Xabi Alonso (and Steven Gerrard, okay), being at Chelsea is almost like being back at Atletico [Madrid].

It ain't necessarily about the strikers but about the guys who provide for them. It's not rocket science, which is presumably why Juan Mata has gone to London and left a few euros in the Mestalla [Valencia] bank.

Will he save Torres? Do we really care? Yes, because if he doesn't, El Kid will probably be loaned back after Christmas from whence he came, and join Mr. Falcao in attack. You read it here first."

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All joking aside, Torres would do well to see his career reinvigorated in a loan spell.

And where better to regain confidence than at the club of your youth? Crazier things have happened, and Chelsea have past precedence in similar matters.

Upon signing AC Milan hitman Andriy Shevchenko in the summer of 2006, Abramovich succeeded in bringing one of his favorite players to Stamford Bridge. Yet the Ukrainian, who had been unstoppable in attack with the Rossoneri in seven seasons' work, failed to hit the same heights in England (47 appearances, nine goals).

The talent was there, obviously—but something wasn't clicking.

Undeterred, and perhaps as a last gasp after seeing Shevchenko struggle for form over two seasons, Chelsea shipped him on a season-long loan back to Milan for the '08-'09 season.

The former striking wonder would make 18 league appearances with the Lombards (26 in total), but was a shell of the player he'd been before his move to England.

Unimpressed by his new form, Milan declined to buy his option after the season, and sent him back to London for the final year of his four-year deal.

Shevchenko would not remain there for long, however. New coach Carlo Ancelotti (who had coached Shevchenko at Milan from '01-'06) sold his former prize in the early stages of the '09-'10 season, back to his youth club Dynamo Kiev, where he is at present.

Torres seems miles from that juncture at this stage of his career. Still only 27, he is in his prime as a striker. His scoring has become as rare as a Halley's Comet sighting, but no one doubts he still possesses the goal-scoring acumen that once made him the scourge of the Premiership with Liverpool.

It would be fair to say, however, that his move to Chelsea—one he professed himself to be ecstatic about upon signing for the club—hasn't panned out the way he'd hoped.

But who says you can't return home again? It's the most tried-and-true formula for rediscovering some aspect of yourself you felt sure had been lost.

Liverpool probably wouldn't want him back (too much history), but Atletico would likely cherish an opportunity to pair him in attack with their new signing, Falcao.

There's plenty of time until January, and many games to play. Aside from that incredible miss on an open goal, Torres looked much livelier in attack against Manchester United—a team he has an incredible history against—and he did notch the lone Chelsea goal in the 3-1 defeat.

But that miss will be not benefit El Kid's confidence.

A retreat of sorts, to clear his head, just might.