Is Keane worth £20million?

For all the brilliance of Fernando Torres last season, it was patently obvious Liverpool needed an influx of firepower if they were to finally mount a convincing challenge on the Premier League. Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch all failed to form a partnership with Torres of the calibre he formed with David Villa during Spain’s triumphant Euro 2008 campaign. Will Robbie Keane do any better this season?

Rafael Benitez certainly thinks so. The fee for Keane could rise above £20million – testament indeed to how highly Benitez must regard him. And with good reason too. For over the past three seasons at Tottenham Keane, who was seemingly being nudged to the periphery by Jermain Defoe, performed magnificently.

There were plenty of goals – 61 in 136 appearances, as Keane gave much evidence of the crispness of his finishing ability. Yet his value to Tottenham went way beyond the mere goals he brought. The manner in which he was able to bring team-mates into the game and create chances for them was outstanding: Keane is a tremendously cunning player, with his dexterity dropping off the main forward and finding space between the midfield and defence something all football connoisseurs can appreciate.

If what Benitez is searching for more than anything is a player who can thrive as a striking partnership, then he has found the right man in Keane. For he formed a lethal pairing with Dimitar Berbatov in his last two years at Spurs. Anyone watching the highlights of games cannot fail to be wooed by the majesty of Berbatov’s technique, his intricate ball control and powerful shots. Yet he can be immensely frustrating to play alongside, too: he sometimes conforms to crass stereotypes about ‘moody foreigners’ a little too readily. Hence the extent of Keane’s achievement in forming such a fantastic partnership, something to be feared even when Berbatov seemed capable of doing little right.

Keane is emphatically a team player: he lives an unobtrusive off-field life and is more than content for his strike partner to take the limelight. And, if Keane’s footballing intelligence comes to the fore at Anfield, expect Torres’s goal tally to improve even on last year’s 33.

Though far from identical, Torres and Berbatov are relatively similar players. It is not unreasonable to believe Keane and Torres could develop into the most feared strike pairing in the land: two players of multi-faceted gifts who know there is more than one way to embarrass a defence. Questions linger – principally over how he will impact upon Steven Gerrard’s role in the side, and whether Keane will be forced out wide, which would surely be a mistake – but Liverpool are undoubtedly a stronger squad with him in it.

Keane gave Spurs six years of sterling service, displaying a relish for responsibility in his final few seasons. This big-match temperament may have been decisive in persuading Benitez to part with such a huge fee. For there is no doubt there is a not inconsiderable element of risk in paying a minimum of £19million for a 28-year-old whose experience of top-flight European club football is negligible. If Benitez is vindicated, however, Keane could offer Liverpool a breath of goal-scoring possibilities they so clearly lacked last campaign. His signing is something of a gamble – but, as long as Keane is allowed to play in his best position, it is one Liverpool should not regret.