Andy Gray

What a week that was! Who could possibly have predicted that was going to happen in the manner in which it did?

Yes, my friends, Fernando Torres has left Liverpool to join Chelsea.

We'll probably never know exactly how it all happened but we can speculate that it went something like this...

Having watched Torres look out of sorts and disillusioned for most of the season, Kenny Dalglish asked the striker if he wanted to leave the club.

The answer clearly wasn't a resounding "yes" so the powers-that-be at Liverpool got together and decided that they were prepared to sell him if their asking price was matched and they were sure they could get a suitable replacement before the close of the transfer window.

They inquired about Andy Carroll and when Newcastle and the player made all the right noises about being in favour of the sale, Liverpool told Chelsea they were prepared to sit down and talk business regarding Torres. The exit of Torres was clearly dependent on the arrival of Carroll.

Are Liverpool better or worse off, all things considered? That's for you to decide but in Andy Carroll Liverpool have bought a player who is already a star and will get better and better.

He's the future of the football club just like he's the future of England. And that was a significant factor in all this. Every Premier League club loves to have players in their side who are stars of the national team and that's something Kenny understands better than most.

Speaking of which, those who suggested the Liverpool legend had been too long out of the game to be able to take over as manager of Liverpool FC need to think again and now that the club have sorted out their transfer activity, the next step is for sign Kenny a long-term deal. Not only have performances and results improved on the pitch but he's also managed to attract two top players to come to the club in his short time there.

And why wouldn't those two and other international stars want to come and play for him? He's one of the greatest players ever to have been born on these shores, a true Kop legend and was a highly successful manager at both Liverpool and Blackburn.

How Kenny plays Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in the same side is one of the big decisions he'll need to make. I suspect Carroll will be employed as the big target man just as he was at Newcastle with Suarez playing just behind him. I've said before I think Steven Gerrard's best position is as an all-action midfielder but it may be that we see the skipper employed on the right with Raul Meireles and Lucas playing through the middle. In any case, exciting times indeed at Liverpool!

As for Torres, I think in the long-term we'll see him play in a Chelsea 4-4-2 with Ramires and Florent Malouda playing either side of Michael Essien and Frank Lampard. Who will play upfront with Torres over the next few seasons? Your guess is as good as mine.

Of the other big transfers that took place, I think Aston Villa's signing of Darren Bent was a real coup and I'm also expecting great things of Obafemi Martins at Birmingham, a transfer that went somewhat under the radar but could really re-ignite their season.

A final word on Blackpool. As it happens, they brought in a few new faces, but the most significant action they took revolves around someone who didn't go out. Keeping Charlie Adam at the club will probably be worth a lot more money than any transfer fee they could have got for him because, whereas I think they would have struggled to stay up without him, they've got every chance of doing that with him.

For more exclsuvie Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

Aston Villa's signing of Darren Bent was the big news last week after Gerard Houllier managed to prise away Sunderland's star asset for a fee in the region of £18 million. It has sparked the old debate of whether players become far more expensive in the transfer market just because they happen to be English.

It does seem to be the case that homegrown players are worth a few bob more than foreign imports, especially if they're also established internationals, but there are two good reasons for that.

The first is that with the recently introduced regulations concerning a minimum number of home-grown players, English lads become a more valuable commodity. The second is that I think most fans like to see high-profile nationals playing in their side.

If you go and ask a Real Madrid or Juventus fan if they want to see Spanish and Italian players respectively play for their club, I'm pretty sure I know what their answer would be.

But irrespective of his nationality, I don't think Bent's transfer fee is excessive. Look at his goalscoring record over the past five years or so and of those players still playing in the Premier League, only Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba can claim to have a better one.

I've said before that Darren isn't necessarily easy on the eye, his finishes tend to be scuffed efforts that hit the goalkeeper or the upright before they trickle in rather than clean strikes. But we can't all be Cristiano Ronaldo or David Villa and find the top corner every other game and it's how many goals a striker scores that matters, not how they're scored.

His winner against Manchester City was typical of everything Darren does well. He sensed that Joe Hart could only parry Ashley Young's shot and was the first to react to the rebound, smashing it past the City keeper. It's that sort of predatory instinct that Villa have lacked over the last couple of years and it's a great feeling for all the Villa players knowing that Bent will make the most of any scraps going and start turning Vila's chances into goals.

All in all, the signing of the former Spurs man is a huge boost for Aston Villa. Things have been a little quiet of late at Villa Park and his arrival will give a huge boost to the other players and of course, the fans.

Emile Heskey has been a good servant for Villa for the last few years and still offers a strong physical presence but he hasn't been scoring enough goals whilst the same can be said of John Carew, who has now been loaned to Stoke.

One thing is for sure, Bent will certainly get more chances to score goals at Villa than he did at Sunderland. That's not a criticism of the Black Cats, who have had a superb season so far, it's just a reflection of the way they play - normally quite narrow with a rather direct approach - Villa play a little wider and have great crossers of the ball in guys like Stewart Downing and Ashley Young and I think Darren will enjoy getting on the end of those balls.

Villa have had a bad time of it of late and injuries certainly haven't helped their cause but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a sharp change in their fortunes with the arrival of Darren and a steady rise up the table in the next few weeks.

The superb form of Blackpool's Charlie Adam has come as a surprise to many who were unfamiliar with him prior to this season. In truth, this has been by far his best season though the signs that he had true potential have always been there.

He showed great promise when he started off his career at Rangers and actually played pretty well when given a chance. But just 60-odd games over the course of six seasons isn't enough game-time when you're young and desperate to play every week, which explains why he decided to move on in search of more first-team opportunities.

Blackpool are very much the sort of team that allow him to have the freedom to express himself - a colourful manager in Ian Holloway who encourages players to enjoy themselves on the pitch and a system that gives him plenty of the ball. He's been handed the responsibility to create most of the team's chances and just make things happen and he seems to relish that.

Adam will be the first to admit that he doesn't exactly have the elegance of a David Silva or Cesc Fabregas as he goes about his business but don't be fooled by his barrel-chested, solid physique. He's a very fit young man who covers a lot of ground whilst his range of passing is superb and he has one of the sweetest left foots in the division.

The problem Blackpool now have is that his performances have been so impressive that he's attracted the interest of plenty of other clubs. Birmingham, Aston Villa and even Liverpool have asked about him and Holloway will have a real job on his hands to keep him at the club.

The Tangerines have very sensibly installed a tight wage cap which is good in terms of keeping their finances in check but does mean their players will feel they can earn much bigger money elsewhere.

One thing is for sure: if Blackpool do decide they can't turn down a big offer for him they will be left with a huge gap to fill and I'm not sure there's another like-for-like replacement in their squad who can come in and do what Adam does so well.

Finally, a word on his Scotland prospects. Gone are the days when my team could boast such talents as Gary McAllister and Gordon Strachan in midfield. Of the players currently available to Craig Levein who play in the middle of the park, only Darren Fletcher really gets a game week in, week out in the Premier League and that sort of experience is vital.

It can only be a matter of time before Levein realises what Adam brings to the table and makes him an integral part of their mid-term future.

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

Winning the FA Cup with Everton in 1984 was one of the proudest moments of my career so I know what the competition means. For this reason, it always astonishes me that clubs put their league status so far ahead of the cup in their list of priorities.

It is extraordinary that managers don't want to win the FA Cup. This is one of the greatest club competitions, it is watched all around the world and players everywhere dream of walking out at Wembley.

I understand the importance of league and European competition but if I was the manager of a team that could not win the title, I'd be going all out to get my hands on silverware. The FA Cup is a perfect opportunity for mid-table teams to grab some glory.

I find it incredible that teams don't want to give themselves a chance to win a competition with such a rich tradition and which provides such a fantastic finale to the season. So who do I think will lift the famous trophy at Wembley this May?

History tells us that one of the big boys will win the cup. Chelsea have been particularly strong in recent years and, having triumphed in the last two seasons, they deserve to be the favourites at 7.0. I don't believe they will get the hat-trick but I don't think Manchester United, who haven't won for seven years, should be backed at the same price either.

Manchester City are 8.6 but whether they warrant a punt depends on how seriously Roberto Mancini takes the competition. For a similar price, we can back Arsenal and, with Arsene Wenger without a trophy since he won this one in 2005, I think they could be worth a bet at 8.4.

I'm backing Arsenal to do an FA Cup and League Cup double in 2011.

For exclusive Andy Gray tipping and articles, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

In each Liverpool game there is a lot at stake at present. The fans will be up for their FA Cup tie with Manchester United but Premier League results are ultimately what will count for Roy Hodgson this season.

Joe Cole's late winner against Bolton was important for the Reds and could have given them renewed confidence. Nevertheless, the manager is under immense pressure despite only being four months into the job.

There's a lot more wrong with Liverpool than what is happening on the pitch. By the end of Rafael Benitez's reign they were practically a Spanish-speaking club with plenty of Spaniards in influential positions which made communication difficult.

Roy Hodgson's main problem is that he was not appointed by the current owners of the club. It's the same problem that Mark Hughes faced at Manchester City and Sam Allardyce at Blackburn. As witnessed with those two, it can prove fatal.

The American owners would probably prefer to install their own manager. They will want their man in charge and they won't care too much about the club's admirable tradition of not sacking managers too hastily.

It's well documented that Premier League owners can be quick to pull the trigger on managers these days but clubs need continuity, especially one with such proud heritage as Liverpool.

The owners should back the manager and let the team play their way out of trouble. Whichever way you look at it, Roy Hodgson needs his team to start winning soon.

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

With half the season gone it's time to reflect on the good and the bad of what we've seen so far in the Premier League this season.

First up, we've got a title race that any one of five clubs can win. And yes, I'll include Tottenham in that along with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and current table-toppers Manchester United. Spurs are easy to dismiss on the grounds that they've never really come close and that most of the players simply don't have the experience of handling the pressure of a close title race but we'll never know until we see them in that sort of situation. While they're within touching distance of the table toppers they're in with a chance. The exact same thing goes for Manchester City. Who do of course have the advantage of having a squad filled with players who have won trophies before.

Having a handful of teams in contention can only be good for the Premier League and exciting for those who watch it week in week out and for those like me who make a living out of talking about it. The contemporary view throughout most of Europe is that La Liga is currently the best league in the world but I'd disagree with that. If you like watching two fantastic teams playing wonderful football every week then by all means tune into Real Madrid and Barcelona matches when they're on but beyond those (and at a push Villarreal and Valencia), the same quality and entertainment as we see in the Premier League just isn't there. And they certainly don't have five teams competing for the top prize.

Then we have the likes of Sunderland, Bolton and Stoke. Ok, the Black Cats splashed out a hefty sum to bring Asamoah Gyan to the north east but with the exception of him we have three relatively inexpensively-assembled squads sitting in Europa League places and competing with the very best. If you'd said at the start of the season you fancied any of those three to be relegated not many would have disagreed and said they thought it was impossible yet here the three of them are. It goes to show how a decent squad, hard work, a good manager in charge and self-belief are all the necessary ingredients you need to do well in this league.

In terms of negatives, I sincerely hope that this year we don't see any repeat of the Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez sagas. Here we have the stars of two of the biggest teams in the country (or the world for that matter) earning small fortunes every week at hugely successful teams and complaining that they're not happy, want moves, think life is better elsewhere. I said what I had to say at the time of the Rooney affair which is that if you think you can find a better club than Manchester United at which to play your football then good luck in trying to find it. As it happens they both ended up staying but it's not good for their clubs, their fans or for the image of the game in general to have players acting in an ungrateful way when they're lucky enough to have the job that virtually every man on the street dreams of doing.

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

I'm probably not the right person to be talking about other people's penalties! During my career I took just five (I did score four of them if you're wondering) and that was due to a combination of always having other great penalty takers at the club and me just not fancying it. Give me a ball in motion any day of the week rather than a spot kick.

That said, I sometimes wish I had taken more as my career goals tally would have been considerably higher! Some players call them freebies and you can see why...

I'm not entirely convinced by Wayne Rooney's new penalty run-up but I'm not so sure he'll be trying it again. It worked against Rangers but he had a bit of a shocker against Arsenal.

Luckily for him, it didn't make a difference in the end but I said in the post-match analysis already that it's a little bit odd. I'm sure he'll step up to take the next one but maybe he should go back to the run-up that served him so well last year.

We've been lucky to see some pretty good penalty takers in the Premier League over the years. Frank Lampard has missed a couple recently but his record is very good and Eric Cantona was deadly as well.

But the gold medal must go to Matt Le Tissier, who only ever missed one and he'd probably tell you that was one too many! Not only did they always find the back of the net but he had this incredible knack of always sending the keeper the wrong way in the process.

A brownie point is on offer to the first person who can (without Googling!) tell us who saved the one and only penalty 'Le Tiss' missed...

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

A word on Arsenal's title chances. I do worry that they lack a little Premier League experience and ruthlessness at the heart of their defence to go on and actually win the title this year, rather than just come close. But so far they've been so good in other areas that they've got away with it, which is why they're top of the table.

One of the things they've done particularly well is cope with injuries to key players. Robin van Persie, such an important player for Arsenal over the years with his skill, pace and goals, has only just come back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. In his absence Marouane Chamakh has been brilliant, especially when you consider how difficult it is for strikers to make an impact in their first season in this league.

They've also been without Cesc Fabregas for six league matches this season, their captain and talisman, yet the impressive performances of Jack Wilshere and the goals of Samir Nasri have allowed them to cope without him.

They've had nervy moments such as that last-gasp winner from Alex Song at home to West Ham, disappointment in the shape of their 3-2 defeat at home to Spurs and downright humiliation when they lost to two newly-promoted sides (Newcastle and West Brom) at home. But they've recovered from those setbacks well and look to have learnt from some of their mistakes.

Arsenal fans will also be pleased to see that they don't appear to get outmuscled or bullied in matches as they have done in the past; they've played some of the more physical sides in the league and gave as good as they got which is a sign that these days if you're going to get the better of Arsenal, you need to outplay them, not intimidate them.

They've got four very tough matches coming up between now and the New Year starting obviously with tonight's showdown with Man Utd, and whereas it would take an incredible effort to come away with 12 points from those matches, I wouldn't be surprised if they get enough to still be top at the start of 2011. They're 4.8 right now and that may be the last time you see them at such a big price for a long time.

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"Tottenham's recent matches have been high-scoring and Harry Redknapp has said he intends to keep on attacking. Will this backfire eventually when they reach the business end of the Champions League?" - Further to a conversation between @BetfairFootball and @kbotw1690

For starters, Tottenham aren't quite as gung-ho as some make them out to be. Yes, a straightforward 4-4-2 is pretty attacking by today's standards but for much of the season (in the absence of Jermain Defoe) Harry has gone with 4-4-1-1 with Rafael van der Vaart just behind the lone striker. Of course, the Dutchman is very much an attack-minded player but he's certainly not a striker.

The other point is that just because you're playing two proper wingers, the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, it doesn't mean you're going all-out attack. Bale in particular tracks back a fair bit to avoid his left back being exposed whereas the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios (when he plays) do plenty of running and tackling to ensure gaps aren't let when the more attack-minded players roam forward.

At the moment, Spurs are more positive than most, their matches are high-scoring and entertaining and that's obviously good for the game but that's not to say that will be a constant throughout the season. Harry knows better than most that football is a game of 'horses for courses' and there will be occasions when he may bring in an extra midfielder, say Palacios, at the expense of one of his strikers.

We know how much he likes little Defoe but if he feels he's better off going with a target man like Roman Pavlyuchenko or Peter Crouch as his most advanced player for a particular match, he'll have no hesitation in leaving Defoe out if that's what he think is best.

A bigger concern for Spurs fans is simply how few clean sheets they're keeping. More important than systems is simply doing the basics well like defending well from set pieces, not giving away silly free-kicks in dangerous areas and working hard when you're not in possession of the football. One thing is for sure, irrespective of how many goals they're scoring at the other end, they need to start keeping a few clean sheets if they're to have another top-four finish (3.05) or get through another couple of rounds in the Champions League.

For more exclusive Andy Gray content, go to http://www.betfairfootball.com/andy-gray/

Roy Keane hit the headlines again last week when deriding the modern footballers' fashion for snoods, glove, tights and all that carry on.

But I'm not with Roy on this one - though you wouldn't have caught me wearing anything other than a short sleeved shirt in my playing days.

This is just the modern footballer, I'm afraid, and whatever keeps them happy is fine by me. It's a talking point for sure, but you won't find me doing a Roy Keane on the subject!

That said, I've never really got the glove thing, though I can understand wearing tights - some players are susceptible to strains and injuries and tights can protect the legs.

But you wouldn't have seen a snood, glove or tight anywhere near the football pitch in my day. Back then we played through some appalling conditions - stuff they would not go near these days. I'm talking about snow, rock hard pitches, ultra cold temperatures - minus 4 or 5 degrees - but I always wore short sleeves, regardless.

You would have to conduct a very thorough search to find a picture of me from my playing days wearing anything else!