As the January transfer window came to a close in the English Premier League, two of the league’s biggest clubs were at the center of a dramatic transfer move. Liverpool FC sold star striker Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea FC for a British record transfer fee. Immediately the move was criticized by the media and fans of both clubs, but was the criticism justified?

The west London club smashed the British transfer record in paying &pound50 million for Torres, a decision that was quickly mocked by many as a last attempt by the Blues to salvage their title dreams. Since then the Blues hopes of retaining their Barclay&39s Premier League crown in 2011 have all but died. The criticism of both Torres and Chelsea increased after the striker made a lackluster debut against his former club less than a week after the move. In the end, Liverpool notched the only goal of the match in a 1-0 defeat for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Looking at the deal for Torres requires an individual to look at the larger picture. Chelsea has an aging squad who currently employ an attacking format that Torres is not best suited for. Among the stars at Chelsea, several of them have a few seasons at best of top form left before they begin to hit the twilight of their career.

Even worse for the Blues is the condition of their core attacking duo Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. The pair led Chelsea on a rampage last season in the Premier League, but this season they have so far been less than effective. Anelka has had to play second fiddle to Drogba. He has been playing for the club three seasons now and rumors are beginning to spread that Anelka may soon be moving on to the retirement pasture that is Major League Soccer in the United States.

The English Premier League was won by Manchester United this year, giving them a new record for the number of top-flight championships in England. United’s nineteenth title win and appearance in the Champions League final, where they were outclassed by Barcelona, suggest that it was business as usual in English football’s most important competition this year – Manchester United have won twelve championships since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, after all.

But it was a strange season. English football’s greatest club in terms of European success, Liverpool, found themselves in both financial and sporting crisis for much of the year. Their controversial owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillette, finally relinquished control of the club in autumn, bought out by New England Sports Ventures, the owners of the Boston Red Sox.

This happened to the relief and delight of Liverpool fans, who had watched the broken promises (for a new stadium, particularly), the lack of on-field success, and the club’s debts with mounting horror. That was only the first part of their season. The second involved the removal of manager Roy Hodgson in January.

Chelsea were the early pace setters until coach Ray Wilkins was sacked in November. Perhaps coincidentally, Chelsea lost five matches between November and the beginning of March, before a late run of form took them to within two games of the title, including a 2-1 defeat of Manchester United at Stamford Bridge

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Manchester City secured a Champions League spot for the first time. Arsenal continued to play wonderful football only to come up short at crucial times. It will now be a minimum of eight years between league championships for Arsene Wenger. Harry Redknapp’s attractive side must now hope that top European clubs do not come in for his best players – Manchester United have already expressed interest in Luka Modric.