Benitez’s loss; Redknapp’s big gain

Peter Crouch moved to Portsmouth for £11m

Portsmouth’s acquisition of Peter Crouch is further proof of their impressive progress in the 30 months since Alexandre Gaydamak bought the club in January 2006.

Under Harry Redknapp, they are building an impressive side, characterised by players, young and old, who have a point to prove. Joining a list including Kanu, Sol Campbell and Jermain Defoe is Crouch.

At 27, Crouch is a player who should be entering his peak years. Considering this, and the current exorbitant rates of footballers, £11million represents a fair sum; and, if all goes well, could yet be another example of a Redknapp bargain.

Crouch can certainly feel more than a little aggrieved by his treatment at Liverpool; and above all during his final season. Was he really any worse than Andrei Voronin and Dirk Kuyt? Voronin struck six times in nineteen starts last season, Kuyt 11 in 36. Alongside those two, Crouch’s 11 goals in 21 starts and 15 substitute appearances are impressive indeed. Yet Rafa Benitez was never able to grant him the trust of a significant spell in the side.

While there are justifiable doubts over whether Crouch had the skills to be the leading striker at a club of Liverpool’s stature, that is not to say he could – and should – not have had a major role to play within the Liverpool squad. With his sheer physical presence, aided by his skills in ball close-control, Crouch poses problems for even the best defences. His outstanding hat-trick against Arsenal in 2007, along with a wonderfully-taken goal against them this year and an FA Cup winner against Manchester United in 2006 are all highlights of his Anfield career. They illustrate that Crouch does indeed have the ability to trouble the best teams, making Benitez’s apparent lack of trust in his talents all the more mystifying.

We can only wonder what might have been had Crouch been afforded an extended opportunity alongside Fernando Torres. But, either way, he can look back with a certain pride on his three seasons at Liverpool. They began nightmarishly, with his first goal not coming into December of his first season. Thereafter though, it was clear he had much to offer, and a tally of 40 goals is not insignificant, especially when one considers how often he was used form the bench or not at all.

So Crouch will leave Liverpool with no little regret, but with his head held high. His partnership with Jermain Defoe promises to be an intriguing one. It is an alliance of two fiercely hungry players, eager to prove they should not have been reduced to the periphery at their former, and ‘bigger’, clubs. Yet it also represents a return to the most classical of footballing strike pairings.

For they constitute the archetypal ‘little and large’ pairing, with Crouch’s ability to hold up the play and aerial prowess complemented by Defoe’s pace and finishing ability. Add in Crouch’s considerable talents with the ball at his feet – which, when focusing on his sheer height, are easy to overlook – and Portsmouth clearly have a partnership with the goals to take them into the top six. European defences will not relish facing them, either, as Pompey prepare for their inaugural season in Europe. In adding Crouch to what is already a strong squad, Redknapp is ensuring another season of upward mobility awaits.