While Becks goes to U.S., EPL transfer market sizzles

New Liverpool signee Fernando Torres is one of the many transfers that have heated up the EPL this summer. AFP/Getty Images

MAILBAG Keep the banter flowing to The Limey. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

David Beckham's not the only Englishman who can stir a storm Stateside. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for your hosts for the next six minutes and 43 seconds: Here's Team Limey!

While Becks makes his big entrance into Major League Soccer, the transfer merry-go-round continues to dominate the back pages in England. Indeed, the only thing keeping Team Limey from its offseason depression and yet another bottle of Jack Daniels is the promise of a great title race next year.

Why? Because the boys from Anfield look like contributing to an interesting three-horse race. In our last column, we reported on how Liverpool was close to signing Spanish star Fernando Torres, and now that a large brown envelope stuffed with $51 million has changed hands down a dark alley beneath Atlético Madrid's Vicente Calderón stadium, the boyish 23-year-old has arrived in Merseyside.

Blonde, slim, good-looking and repeatedly a top scorer, Torres does a mighty fine Gwyeth Paltrow impression, especially when gushing, "It's one of the best, if not the best, club in Europe."

And as Team Limey phoned Bill and Ted from outside the Anfield press conference to see if Socrates could figure out the second part of that logic, who should walk past but Ajax starlet Ryan Babel and West Ham's Yossi Benayoun. Two wingers and Atlético Madrid's top scorer for the last five seasons should surely contribute to Liverpool's offense matching last year's defensive strength.

And with golf club-wielding Craig Bellamy, and frustratingly inconsistent Luis García safely dispatched from the club, squad cohesion should improve. At least until Jemaine Pennant's next brush with the law or Peter Crouch's next uncoordinated appearance on the dance floor.

But even though the Liverpool squad looks strong, overtaking Chelsea and Manchester United will be an arduous task. José Mourinho's only outlay so far is $27 million on Florent Malouda from Lyon, but the Special One insists that his squad already has the quality to regain the title, and Team Limey tends to agree that some stability at Chelsea could well be beneficial. Nor should Mourinho's free transfer purchases of Steve Sidwell, Tal Ben Haim and Claudio Pizarro be underrated.

Meanwhile, Man. United has splashed $100 million of its hard-earned Glazer-bucks on Anderson, Nani and Owen Hargreaves, and is looking to bring in Carlos Tévez as soon as someone can work out whether he belongs to West Ham or businessman Kia Joorabchian. Please allow us to usher the L,A. Law team into the room to explain the latest details surrounding the most clandestine and underhand deal since the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.

Last summer, West Ham failed to inform the English Premier League that it had entered into an agreement with Joorabchian's company, MSI, when it signed Tévez and fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano. Fined $11 million, the Hammers were warned that Tévez would be unable to play for them while the third-party agreement was still in place. West Ham immediately terminated the agreement, but Joorabchian claims he did not agree to that.

The EPL is now insisting that Tévez's transfer must only involve West Ham and Manchester United, and should it become clear that Joorabchian still has rights over Tévez, Sheffield United's case that West Ham should, following the irregularities, been relegated from the EPL will gain weight. Following the announcement from the EPL suits, West Ham has intriguingly seemingly become reluctant to sell. The case continues. ...

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