Keane arrives at Anfield from Tottenham Hotspur, where he garnered a reputation as a consistent creator and goalscorer. He is seen as the perfect foil for Liverpool’s dynamic Spanish star, Fernando Torres, and has already been described as Benitez’s best signing since the Spaniard – despite having not yet appeared in Liverpool Red. At 28 years old, Keane brings experience and pedigree to a position that Liverpool have struggled to fill – that of 2nd striker to Torres. His tenacity and aggression, combined with natural goalscoring ability, should compliment ‘El Nino’ perfectly.
Transfer Controversy
Keane’s £20.3 million transfer from Tottenham was controversial. The London club lodged a complaint with the FA regarding Liverpool’s conduct in their approach for the Republic of Ireland captain. The complaint was withdrawn shortly after the transfer was finalized, when Liverpool reputedly donated an undisclosed amount to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and apologized for their conduct. The Tottenham Chairman however, expressed dissatisfaction to the press, saying that he had been forced to sell Keane due to Liverpool’s interference.
Lucky Number 7
Robbie Keane will play in Liverpool’s no. 7 shirt this season, a further indication of the faith that his new employers have in his ability. The shirt is revered by players at Anfield, having been worn by legends Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish. This fact has not escaped Keane and he revealed his delight at the prospect of wearing the famous number, calling it an honor and stating that if he could achieve half as much success as Keegan or Dalglish he would be a happy man.
Keane Profile
Robert David Keane was born in Dublin on 8 July 1980. At 17 he made his professional debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers and scored 2 goals in the process. He was soon signed by Coventry City for a club record of £6 million. After scoring 12 times in 34 games in his only season at the club, he hit the big time with a move to Inter Milan in a £13 million transfer. With Marcello Lippi being sacked as Inter manager shortly after his arrival in Italy, Keane was relegated to the bench and his foreign experience ended prematurely when he was loaned to Leeds Utd.
The loan spell went well and Leeds’ boss David O’Leary secured Keane a £12 million move to Elland Road shortly afterwards. After what was probably the least successful period in his career, a cash-strapped Leeds sold the Irishman to Tottenham Hotspur for a bargain price of £7 million.
Robbie Keane spent 6 very successful seasons at Spurs. He scored a total of 107 goals in 254 appearances for the club whilst also becoming a firm favorite with the fans for his charismatic and tenacious displays on the field, and his trademark “gunfire” goal celebration. The 2006/7 season was arguably his best as he scored a total of 31 goals and created 13 more in just 40 appearances. In December 2007, he became only the 13th player to score 100 Premiership goals whilst becoming the 15th Spurs’ player to score 100 goals for the club early in 2008.
Internationally, Robbie Keane has also achieved success. He has represented the Republic of Ireland on 81 occasions and scored 33 goals, with 3 of those coming in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He is the current Irish captain and record goalscorer.
If Robbie Keane continues his success in front of the Anfield faithful, it is likely that he could play an important role in transforming a Liverpool outfit, dubbed perennial underachievers over the last two decades, to their former glory.
Warren Potter - I am a 42 year old South African who has been writing since time began - it feels like it anyway. My freelance exploits have taken me to ...
