THE last week has underlined the exciting potential of Valencia's young winger Ferran Torres, and also the scary possibility for Los Che supporters of the latest gem from their academy leaving on the cheap.
Torres, 19, was electric during last Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw against Chelsea, especially in the first half when he regularly zipped away from markers, set up an open goal for teammate Maxi Gomez and provoked a booking from opposition holding midfielder Jorginho.
The kid was even better in Sunday’s regional derby at home to Villarreal, when he capped a man of the match performance full of dangerous driving runs past opponents by slamming in a second half winner and celebrating raucously with the Mestalla crowd.
What were you doing at 19?
Starter for @valenciacf_en
51 games in #LaLigaSantander
Goal in the regional derbyRemember the name… FERRAN TORRES. ✍️#ValenciaVillarreal pic.twitter.com/aVQ3NmotBJ
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) November 30, 2019
Such displays are no surprise for those who have been following Torres’ emergence over the last couple of years, but Valencia’s hierarchy have been caught napping as the club’s most valuable asset moves into the last 18 months of his contract. Borussia Dortmund have reportedly already made an offer for a player who looks an ideal replacement should Jadon Sancho return to England next summer, while Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Juventus and any other big European club with their eyes open have apparently been keeping tabs.
Born a 20-minute car journey from Mestalla on March 29 [yep] in 2000, Torres entered the Paterna academy aged just six and has long been seen as something special. He helped Spain to the European U-17 Championships in 2017, and scored both goals as ‘La Rojita’ beat Portugal 2-0 to win last summer’s U-19 Euros. The impact at club level has also been less instantly dramatic. Although he marked his full La Liga debut in January 2018 with a startlingly mature assist for teammate Geoffrey Kondogbia, he only made one more senior start that season, with then Los Che coach Marcelino Garcia Toral gradually allowing him gain experience from the bench.
January 2019 was a big month for the kid, with a fine goal against Sporting Gijon in the Copa del Rey, when he drove into the box, dummied the keeper and calmly finished with his left boot. Four days later came his first La Liga goal, controlling a on his chest and rifling home right footed to equalise against Celta Vigo. “He is a complete talent – strong, fast and carries the ball stuck to his feet, has stamina and competes in the air,” Valencia academy recruitment director Jose Gimenez said in El Pais last season. “He has a change of pace, and go either inside or outside, using either foot. And he also can cross, and shoot. But don’t build him up too much, as cover stories do damage.”
Also keen to protect Torres from over exposure was first team coach Marcelino, who played him all through the early Copa rounds but them kept him on the bench through the semis against Betis and shock final win over Barcelona. Such caution with potential emerging stars – also including Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in – was apparently one of the reasons for the breakdown in Marcelino’s relationship with club owner Peter Lim. Replacement Albert Celades have shown less reluctance, and Torres is now one of the first names on the Valencia team sheet.
Ferran Torres – 3 goals in his last 5 games for Valencia.
19-year-old getting better and better. A very important player for Los Che.
— FootballTalentScout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) November 30, 2019
The hype cat is out of the bag too. The displays against Chelsea and Villarreal followed a superb solo goal in the 2-0 victory over Granada in early November when he carried the ball from half way before thumping a shot to the net from the edge of the box. The previous midweek he scored his first Champions League goal in the 4-1 win over Lille and shared a rare few words with the media.
“It is always nice to play well, and it means more when you score,” Torres said. “Rodrigo’s pass was perfect and I could celebrate with the fans. I feel full of confidence and am showing that on the pitch. I just need to keep this going as long as possible.”
How long Torres does keep developing at Valencia is now an open question. His current deal has a €100 million release clause, and runs until June 2021. That was negotiated in October 2018 by then club director general Mateu Alemany, who was fired along with Marcelino by Lim earlier this season. The Singapore-based businessman now makes all the club’s biggest decisions personally, and there has been no public progress towards an extension, while well sourced local press reports suggest Torres and his representatives know they are in a strong negotiating position.
The local lad already has a strong bond with the Mestalla crowd and celebrated his derby winner last weekend by grabbing the Valencia badge on his shirt and repeatedly roaring “I’m from here.” However previous Los Che heroes from Gaizka Mendieta to David Silva to Jordi Alba have all moved on though, and Lim is not known for sentimentality in business decisions.
Both sides should really have an interest in coming to an arrangement which would allow Torres to continue to develop at Valencia ahead of a really big money move in a few years' time. But the unpredictability of events at Mestalla through recent seasons means what happens next is very difficult to predict.
