You get the feeling that Fernando Torres has never been the same striker since joining Chelsea in 2011.

After one of the most exciting January transfer windows in recent years, many football fans and pundits reminisced on that fateful day seven years ago when Torres turned his back on Liverpool.

To the tune of £50 million, it was one of the biggest and most controversial transfers in Premier League history. It also turned out to be one of the competition's most expensive errors.

Torres would go onto spend four years at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 20 league goals in 110 appearances and looked a shadow of the man who ripped it up at Anfield.

Jose Mourinho eventually put the Spaniard out of his misery, with Torres trudging through an uneventful spell with AC Milan before a return to Atletico Madrid that has reaped more sentiment than on-the-pitch excitement.

Doomed spell with Chelsea

The 33-year-old would later reminisce on his doomed Chelsea move, stating: “Chelsea was not good from the beginning. I did not find a team that suited me on the pitch. [There was a] good organisation [off it] but the different personality [of the team] was not for me, even though I got what I wanted [by winning trophies]."

He would also go onto lament his split with Steven Gerrard and the finer team environment he found at Liverpool and Atletico.

Furthermore, the sad nature of Torres' fateful career turn in 2011 was no better summarised than by Frank Lampard during the latest instalment of Premier League Tonight.

Rio Ferdinand was recalling United's last-ditch capture of Dimitar Berbatov and its positive impact on the Red Devils' dressing room, when Lampard gave an interesting two cents on the Torres deal.

As soon as Ferdinand said: "It makes a difference to the whole dressing room when a player of topquality comes in," Lampard couldn't help joining in.

Only signing that excited Lampard as a Chelsea fan

"When Torres came, we were all very excited for that," the Blues' all-time top scorer started.

"That was the first time, the only time I can remember, as a Chelsea fan, I was excited [by a signing], thinking the difference he could make to our team."

Oh what could have been.

Considering Chelsea signed Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Ashley Cole during Lampard's time at the club, it's certainly a big statement from the 39-year-old.

It could also be the key to Torres' struggles at the club. Not only was the Spaniard burdened with a weighty transfer fee, but was tipped as a long term successor to Drogba and Nicolas Anelka as Carlo Ancelotti's second season unravelled.

Sadly, in the end, Torres fell comfortably short of expectations and hasn't truly recovered since.

Do you think Torres was a victim of high expectations at Chelsea? Have your say in the comments section below.