Mon Jun 9 16:32:14 2008

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Torres demands top signings

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Liverpool, England (Sports Network) - Fernando Torres has warned Liverpool that they need to spend big to keep in touch with the rest of the Premier League's top teams.

Torres, who joined the Reds in a nearly $40 million deal from Atletico Madrid last summer, was a huge hit in his first season in England after scoring 33 goals in all competitions.

However, the Merseyside club finished a distant fourth in the Premier League and were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea at the semi-final stage and Torres believes manager Rafael Benitez must be backed in the summer transfer market.

Ironically, his call comes hard on the heels of the Reds reporting losses of over $60 million for the financial year ending July 31, 2007.

"It's clear that they [Manchester United and Chelsea] have a lot of [$40-50 million] players and that difference is what separates us in the table," Torres told the Liverpool Echo.

"I hope that the club does what needs to be done and we can quickly catch them up.

"In order to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea, if we can't keep up with them economically, then we have to get it absolutely right in the transfer market."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)