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Is Keane worth £20million?
Rafa Benitez believes £20m Robbie Keaneis the perfect partner to Torres and Tim Wigmore is inclined to agree.
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.
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17 comments for “Is Keane worth £20million?”
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keane is maybe not worth 20 million maybe 12-15, then again if bentlry is worth 18 million then keane is worth 30 moillion
I don’t think Keane is worth 20M. I also don’t think Liverpool paid 20M for Keane!
Why?
Because Keane may have two good years and then is not saleable.
Because if supporters come to know Keane went for much less they will be furious.
Because this way Benitez ’shows’ he has spent all his booty and does not have any more left (Barry deal etc). When in fact I think we are in for a big surprise at the end of the transfer window.
I’m a Spurs supporter and I am not alone when I say that we have lost the better half of the Keane/Berbatov partnership. Keane was the best player at Spurs by a long way and I’m absolutely gutted to see him leave, however, I understand entirely why he went and think that he will be very well suited to Liverpool and he and Torres witl both get 30+ next year. I can’t wait to see Keane playing Champions League football, and although I would have rather seen him do it in a Spurs shirt, just seeing him achieve that will bring a smile to my face (and watching him and Torres smash a loads past Almunia next year will be sweet!) Just no goals against Spurs please Robbie
squirrel, Keane is priceless to Spurs fans mate, that’s the fact of it all! Spurs fans all love Keane and most of us wish him well in the future. Is Keane worth £20m? EVERY PENNY! AND MORE!! You just wait until next season, he will change your opinion when you see him in red!
Oh really squirrel?? Back on planet earth Spurs have announced the fee as £19million with potential add-ons of £1.3 million. They have to state the fee as they are a PLC and this disclosure is mandatory. So your infantile deductions are childish delusion. Try researching facts before posting childish drivel. the information is in the public domain. As for the big surprise, it is likely in October when Hicks has to refinance his loans. Doesn’t look like he’ll get good terms and he is likely to find it difficult given his credit rating in the credit crunch. Ther is no magic money tree. hicks is not a Russian oil millionaire. He and Gillette, like the Glazers is in hock to the bankers and they aren’t charitable.
As a Spurs supporter I feel gutted that Keano has left Spurs. He formed a lethal partnership with Berbs and now that has broken. Everytime we try to build a team the top four come knocking on the door wanting our star players. I personally have had enough of selling our best players to manure, chelski, ars and Liverpool. It’s about time the Spurs board stand together and refuse selling any future players to the top four. First Carrick,and now Keane. Next year one of the top four are going to want Dos Santos. I hate to say it but we are a feeder club.
Robbie “10 goals a year” Keane is Crap.
£20m for a £5m player. He is not World Class, he maybe good at Spurs, but when he went to Inter Milan all he did was shop ! And it will be the same at Liverpool.
Our best strike partnership is Torres and Babel ! I’ll bet anyone £100 Babel scores more goals next season than Keane. Rafa has wasted our money, we need a WINGER ! and not a half wit like bentley, we should have bought David Silva end of, instead we were robbed by daniel levy, we should get him as our chief exec and get rid of coco parry, who could not run his own bath.
We are LIVERPOOL ! 18 Leagues and 5 European Cups ! Our tittle challenge rests on the shoulders of Torres, Gerrard, Skrtel, Reina, Babel,Mascherano.
robbie keane at 21 with level he is at the moment would be worth 20 mill plus but at 28 although keane will be very hard act to replace has to be good business such was michael carrick we only paid about 3 mill carrick and 7 mill for keane so a nice tidy profit on both players we have managed 6 good years out of keane and made over 13 mill not too bad and if moody berb goes who we bought for 11 mill shd we get 25 mill for him thats a nice profit again in 2 years so its not all bad
Robbie Keane is worth £20M to Liverpool. We need experienced premier league players in key positions. We can afford to pay this amount of money for the experience because of the large numbers of young players that have been added to the reserves and youth team. There are about a dozen players with a good chance of at least making the squad in the next 3-4 years.
i think its a great deal for spurs, especially now it looks like they are going to get Villa who his younger and world class for the same price they sold Keane for. i bet Ramos his laughing all the way to the bank hehehehehe!!!!
good riddance with that kind of money we can get a better striker who is a better finisher and younger. i reckon spurs made one of the best bargains of the season.
It’s not about making profit, it’s about building a team to challenge the top four. I heard Bentley is having a medical at the lane, great news. Bentley wil be a good signing so we have many options in midfield. Great crosser on the ball and scores goals. And to top that he supports spurs. YID ARMY!
Its become very quicky boring all this talk about Keane being too old and expensive, and a little short sighted and proof of crap football knowledge.
Rafa needs and is buying players that have experience and quality in the PREM because he has already been buying loads of young talent already (proof, we won the reserve league with a team that has a average age of 18)so it makes sense Rafa is buying players that are ready NOW and can peform NOW, and not in couple of years or once they’ve settled in to the prem, how are Liverpool supposed to challenge for things NOW if all our players are all bought for the future or need a season to settle? More proof is in Rafa wanting the same standard of player is the interest in Barry….and for this type of player you WILL pay over the odds, its unfortunately how the prem works, Christ, if Bent was worth the price he went for to Spurs what is the real price of Torres or Keane. Look at 20M+ for SWP to chelsea, a proper joke, and he has done nothing since moving. Look at Shevchenko, quality player abroad, Chelsea paid millions and he was shite in the Prem, same when we bought Morientes.
I for one think Keane has made Liverpool much stronger and will have an immediate impact on the team and I’m sure all Spurs fans, if honest, will admit being totally gutted, albeit they did get a good price for him.
you so called liverpool fans need to get behind keane & stop complaining about him. i will guarantee that u will be changing ur minds b4 the end of the season when hes one of the top scorers in premiership
simple answer is keane worth 20 million No!!!!!!!!
hes to light weight, seen him last year when he was dropped and when he got subbed By Ramos he had a right tantrum.
He will wanna move when Rafa only plays Torres up front on his own for a lot iof the games.
It made me laugh in the press conference when asked Robbie Keane about being a bit part player he said he didnt mind and he would fight for his place.
He’ll be throwing that shirt down like he did at last year for spurs, when rafa brings him off to hold on to a 1 0 lead. hehehehehe
keane can never be a top scorer again ,why? there is no berbi to set him up, i ‘m afraid liverpool fans going to be dissapointed with him and spurs made the best deal of the season.
[...] unconvincing smiles as another attack failed or a pass again went astray. Only when Keane, who has thoroughly underperformed thus far, offered an extra willingness to chase lost balls and work hard out wide did Liverpool come to [...]