GWistooshort

It was actually a Press Association story referred to in the BBC Gossip Column, but the Press Association don't seem to post their stories on the web themselves & the Stornaway Gazette was the 1st one that came up on the Google search I always check to find the whole story when it's a short ref to a Press Association article in the BBC Gossip Column because it often leaves things out - in this case the fact Sevilla are believed to have bid £7m for Arbeloa

Could you really sack such a defenceless little old lady?

Alright you lot settle down! My transfer round ups try to cover all players that have been linked with us in the mainstream media in recent times (ie this transfer window & possibly slightly longer depending on how strong the link was) rather than just covering the articles that mention Liverpool on that specific day cos I figured that people would like to know what was happening regarding players we had been linked with previously. In the case of Bentley, once he had been linked with us in the mainstream media (ie was a "reported Liverpool target") I then started including any transfer news about him in the round ups even where the article didn't mention Liverpool because previous articles (including in the Echo or Daily Post) had said we were interested in him. Where the article didn't mention Liverpool I added "reported Liverpool target" as a kind of what I thought was (but obviously wasn't) a self-explanatory shorthand. Hopefully now everyone will know what it means. David Villa is another one where I've included transfer news on him where the article doesn't mention Liverpool because in his case Rafa has confirmed he was on our list. Once again, apologies for causing any confusion or raising people's hopes about us getting Bentley. It was not my intention to do either.

Most of the reports don't actually say that - it's me that adds it in. I do it for any player who has been linked to Liverpool in the mainstream media (hence "reported") & about whom there is transfer news/speculation that day, but that specific article doesn't mention Liverpool. My intention was so that people didn't say/think "why's he put Bentley/player X in there, they haven't been linked with Liverpool"! Bentley has been linked to us in the mainstream media a few times, but it looks like he'll end up at Spurs fairly soon (so he won't need to be mentioned anymore). Apologies for causing any confusion.

More transfer news/speculation from today's papers.................. Rafa "is still determined to sign Gareth Barry" with "sources at Anfield making it clear" he is "as keen as ever" to sign the player. The deal "could now drag on into the new season" with Rafa "having to sell before he can buy Barry", which means "the likes of Jermaine Pennant, Andriy Voronin & Alvaro Arbeloa may have to be moved on". http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-s...97319-21423019/ Rafa "has blown his budget on Keane" meaning that he has to "raise the cash" to pay for Barry. Rafa "was given a £20m budget by his club's American owners at the start of the summer, & told to raise any extra cash he needed to sign players". His sales have bought in around £20m, but with signings costing over £30m so far he "needs to raise around £10m if he is to match Villa's £18m valuation [of Barry]", which could be raised by selling Xabi Alonso, or Pennant & Arbeloa. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20675577/ Rafa "has confirmed he must sell again to bring Barry to Liverpool", but "has no intention of selling Arbeloa to Sevilla" who are "believed" to have bid £7m for him. http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/latest-n...arry.4335769.jp Reports in Spain suggest Villa have lodged a £9.5m for Real Madrid midfielder Ruben De La Red, whom Liverpool have been reported to be interested in in the past. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_3881244,00.html Liverpool are "keen on" Man City midfielder Michael Johnson, who has just been offered a new 5-year contract. Arsenal, Everton & Spurs are also interested in Johnson. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3881597,00.html Blackburn have confirmed today that they are in negotiations with Spurs over reported Liverpool target David Bentley. They have already turned down bids from Aston Villa & Spurs, & are believed to be holding out for a fee of around £17m. http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport..._David_Bentley/ Bentley will join Spurs for £15m. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20675692/

Damn, unmasked

Yes, but it is for your benefit

Click on the following links to watch the Keane press conference......... Full press conference (BBC) 7.05 mins Keane snippets (Sky) 59 secs Rafa snippets (Sky) 33 secs

From today's Echo................... Joining Liverpool feels like Christmas - Robbie Keane Jul 29 2008 EXCLUSIVE by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo MERSEYSIDE may currently be enjoying its first taste of summer as the sun beats down and temperatures soar but, as far as Robbie Keane is concerned, it feels like Christmas Eve. Liverpool's new £20m signing from Spurs cannot hide his delight or his excitement at joining the club he supported as a boy. And the thought of running out in front of a packed Anfield wearing the red jersey he always dreamed of donning as a child growing up in Dublin is the greatest gift he could ever imagine. "It's absolutely fantastic, a real dream come true for me," he said. "I've been a Liverpool fan all my life, going back to when I was a kid growing up in Dublin, and I always had a Liverpool shirt on my back. So, to be here now as a Liverpool player is incredible and I couldn't be happier. "It's hard to describe how I'm feeling. The only way I could try to describe it is to compare it to when you're a little kid on Christmas Eve and you know you're about to get your presents. "It's that excited feeling. You can't wait to open your presents the next day and you're buzzing inside. "That's what it feels like for me now. I just can't wait to pull that red jersey on and run out at Anfield in front of the fans." Keane's home debut is likely to come in the friendly against Lazio on August 8, and when he runs out onto the pitch via the players’ tunnel Ireland's record goalscorer will be proudly wearing the number 7 shirt made famous by Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and Peter Beardsley. Despite having worn number 10 at Spurs and for his country, Keane didn't have to think twice when he was offered the opportunity to take number 7. He knows that with the honour comes the dual burden of history and expectation, but he has enough faith in his own talent to believe that he can make an impact on his own terms, not by those set by his illustrious predecessors. He said: "John Barnes, Ian Rush and John Aldridge were my heroes as a kid and then when I was 15 or 16 it was the likes of Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman. "I think Barnesy was probably the reason why I ended up wearing the number 10 shirt for most of my career. "I've always liked that number but I'm going to be number 7 here and I know what a special shirt that is and what it means to everyone associated with the club. So I just hope I can do it justice. "Being a Liverpool fan, I know all about the status that goes with the number 7 and to come here and be given the opportunity to wear that shirt is great for me. "I'm not going to worry about pressure or anything like that, though. I'm not the kind of person who lets things like that get to me. I am the way I am and I would never try to compare myself with someone like Peter Beardsley or Kenny Dalglish. "They were fantastic players and they are legends at this club, but hopefully I can do well in my own right and do justice to the shirt and myself." The 28-year-old last night put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Liverpool, having found the temptation of playing for the club he has supported all his life too much to turn down, even though he remains grateful to Spurs for the way he was treated by them during his six-year spell at White Hart Lane. And before anyone suggests Keane is another Reds signing who discovered his Kopite roots on seeing a contract placed before him on LFC headed notepaper, his devotion to Liverpool has long since been chronicled in his biography in which he talked about being "not just a fan, but a fanatic". It is that powerful emotion which means his heart is already swelling with pride and explains why his desperation to do well for the club is already apparent to anyone who has come across him in the last 24 hours. "It's just Liverpool as a club," he said. "Being a fan makes it even more special because there aren't too many players who can say they are lucky enough to play for the team that they support. "There are so many people out there who love this club, who would love to have the kind of opportunity that I have and I'm very grateful for that. "All my family are absolutely massive Liverpool fans. My brother's been getting hounded with mates ringing him all the time to find out what jersey I'm going to be wearing and stuff like that. "The majority of people in Dublin are Liverpool fans, especially the area where I grew up. All my mates are Liverpool fans and all my family are Liverpool fans, so it's going absolutely mental back there. "I'm sure I'll be getting battered for tickets, especially seeing as it's not so far from there with the ferry or the flights over every day." Not that anyone should get the wrong impression that now Keane has joined Liverpool he will feel his life's work is now complete – nothing could be further from the truth. He is desperate to repay the faith that has been shown in him by Rafa Benitez and he is hellbent on proving that he is worthy of a place in the Liverpool team. Keane believes he can form a lethal partnership with Fernando Torres, but knows he will have to show the Reds boss that he is up to the task of partnering a striker whom he rates as one of the best in the world. "I think the way Fernando plays and the way I play we will suit each other," he said. "It's kind of like the way it worked with Berbatov and myself with a big lad and a smaller lad alongside him. "Fernando is really good in the air and I try to come off and drop into the hole so we'll complement each other. "It's easy saying that, though. It's all about doing it and I'm sure we will both work hard together to make it work. "I've spoken to the manager briefly, not in any major detail or anything, but from my point of view it's up to me to prove that I can play every week. "By no means am I naive enough to think I'm going to walk into Liverpool Football Club and play straight away. "You have to earn that right and I'm willing to do that. I always give 100% every week. That will never change." If and when he has cemented his place in the side, Keane's next challenge will be to help his new club to trophy glory. His desire to be a winner is so evident that his conversational tone actually becomes more aggressive when asked what he would like to achieve with Liverpool. "I'm ambitious and I want to win things," he insisted. "I'm no different to anyone else in that respect and after getting a taste of it with Tottenham last year when we won the Carling Cup I'm desperate for more. "I hate losing and Liverpool undoubtedly have the ingredients to win trophies. I want to be a part of that." Should Keane help Liverpool towards the kind of success he dreams of as a player and as a fan it will feel like Christmas every day. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-21423352/

SSN are showing the Keane press conference in full at 11.30am

SSN have just shown some clips of Rafa from the press conference He was asked whether the Barry deal was dead or if he is still pursuing it & said that today we should enjoy the arrival of Robbie Keane.

Robbie Keane has spoken of his determination to fire Liverpool to a first league championship since 1990. The new number seven is desperate to turn his solitary club medal – collected when Spurs beat Chelsea in the League Cup final last term - into a glittering collection here at Liverpool. Asked at his unveiling this morning if he thought a title-winner's medal was realistic, Keane replied: "I certainly do think we can challenge Manchester United and Chelsea. "If you look at the squad of players that were already here, along with the addition of a few more, then there is no reason we shouldn't be challenging for the Premier League and other trophies. "Liverpool is a massive, massive club and people expect this of us. The fans expect it. "I have come here to win things." The lifelong Red was just nine years old last time the club won the league back at a time when he slept under Liverpool bedsheets and walked around in his club tracksuit. Keane added: "I was a little bit too young to fully remember the last title. Hopefully I can contribute to changing that as part of this team. Obviously that would be great for the people of Liverpool. "My whole family are Liverpool fans. I remember every Christmas asking for jerseys and tracksuits – it's great now that I get the tracksuits for free!" Meanwhile, reporters quizzed the new boy on how he would deal with squad rotation. Keane responded: "If you want to be the best, you have to have a big squad. In the last few seasons my managers have done it – Juande Ramos and Martin Jol. I still had some great seasons there. "It is up to the manager what he wants to do but I am here for the team – not Robbie Keane." http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...080729-1016.htm

Ian Rush & Mark Lawrenson's thoughts on Keane's signing from today's Mirror............ Robbie Keane analysis: Is Keano the last piece in Benitez's jigsaw or just a waste of money who doesn't score enough? By David Maddock 29/07/2008 Ian Rush says Keane can be like Kenny Dalglish Lawro says he is not the goal-scorer Liverpool need Rafa Benitez has signalled his title intent with the audacious capture of Robbie Keane. But many critics believe the Liverpool manager has taken what amounts to a £40million gamble on his own Anfield future by spending so much money on a 28-year-old. Keane will complete his move to Merseyside today in a switch from Tottenham that will cost around £18m, with an extra £2m in add-ons, dependent on success. The striker has signed a five-year deal worth around £80,000 a week, which would net him a staggering £20m over the course of the contract, and effectively double Liverpool's outlay. Benitez brokered exactly the same sort of deal to bring Fernando Torres to the Premier League last season, but that was hardly a gamble given the player's tender years and reputation as the most exciting young striker in Europe. Had Torres failed at Anfield the Liverpool boss would at least have recouped much of his outlay by selling him back to Spain, with the very real chance of getting his money back. No such prospect exists with Keane, which is why Spurs were so eager to sell at such an inflated price. If he fails over the next two years, then the Irishman will be 30 - and would command only a fraction of the fee Liverpool have paid. So why has Benitez gambled by spending so much money on a player who is looking at his last big move in football? The simple answer must be that he believes Keane is the last piece in his title-winning jigsaw. To spend such a massive fee on a relatively old player demands success. Nothing less in fact, than delivering the Merseyside club's first title in 19 years. What is so remarkable about the Keane deal is that it is such a departure from the Spanish coach's usual policy. Since arriving at Anfield in 2004, he has brought in more than 50 players. And yet more than half of those are youngsters between the ages of 15 and 20. Even his big-money buys have been with the future in mind. The four players who have cost more than £10million - Torres, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel - were all 23 or under, and all have improved their sell on value. Keane is such a radical departure from that policy that it is clear the manager sees him as a vital ingredient. He was offered support in that assessment yesterday by Anfield legend Ian Rush, who can see similarities between the Irish striker and his former Liverpool partner Kenny Dalglish. "Keane is a creator, just like Kenny was. He scores goals, but he creates a lot of goals too, and that will be good for Liverpool," Rush explained. "I really loved playing with Kenny Dalglish because he always knew when to feed the ball to me. Keane can play that role for Liverpool because he has good vision and a good sense of the space around him - and that will suit Torres down to the ground. "I'm a big admirer. He gets goals but I think for the Liverpool team, it's his ability with the hold-up play that is the key because he can bring Torres even more into the game." But others are not so certain. Only Chelsea of the big four clubs spend big money on older players, and they have enjoyed only indifferent results from such a policy. Even Manchester United, with their millions, are reluctant to spend huge money on players past their resale date, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson always reserving his greatest outlays on players under the age of 25. Yet Benitez seems to have abandoned that policy completely, given his pursuit of Gareth Barry, who is also 28 and likely to cost £18m. The Mirror's own columnist Mark Lawrenson remains distinctly unconvinced by the capture of Keane, not least because he is worried about the striker's record in front of goal when it really matters. Lawro believes that - with all the financial problems at Anfield - Benitez should be reserving his funds for a genuine world class striker to support Torres, and he wonders if Keane fits that particular bill. "Personally, I don't think Liverpool have the players that can score the goals to give them the title," he explained. "Obviously, Fernando Torres got 33 last year, but that wasn't enough to even sustain a title challenge, never mind win it. "That was because they drew too many games where they didn't have the firepower to win them. My point is, who is going to make sure that if Liverpool go all out to win games that they will score the goals to ensure it happens? "And what if Torres falls over at Sunderland on the opening day of the season and is out for months? "Keane is a good player, but quality though he is, he's more of a streaky scorer. He'll go on a run and get 10 in 10 but then that's half his average season's tally gone in one go. "He can't guarantee the kind of regular goalscoring Torres was making a habit of last season, and I think Liverpool need a top class scorer to support him." Whichever way it is viewed, £40m on a player who will be worth nothing in a couple of years is a massive gamble, but one that Benitez is unafraid to take. Former Liverpool and Ireland defender Phil Babb, who was once a team-mate of Keane's, believes that the striker will offer the club the magic to win the title. "Robbie is such a skilful player; quick and with the ability to get the fans on their feet," he explained. "I would go as far as to say that he would be the closest thing Liverpool have had to Robbie Fowler in his heyday. "Robbie had that ability to get in behind defenders; he could score tap-ins or from long range - Keane can do that too." But if Keane flops at Anfield, it is Benitez's head on the block. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20675691/

Interesting article from Oliver Kay in the Times on Rafa's policy of signing young players.............. Generation game gets harder Oliver Kay Stop me when you hear a name with which you are familiar. Sotiris Ninis, Alberto Bueno, Abdoulaye Balde, Juanfran, Alberto Aquilani, Fernando Torres. There should have been a growing sense of familiarity before Torres, but the names of the players who have followed the Liverpool forward as “Golden Player” at the Under19 European Championship over the past five years suggest that it would be dangerous to draw too many conclusions from this year’s tournament, which took place in the Czech Republic over the past fortnight. If the competition passed you by, you might have guessed that England fell at the first hurdle and that Germany emerged victorious, but you may be more surprised to learn that some of the most beguiling talents on display were those representing the Czech Republic and Hungary. Cue a stampede of agents and scouts towards both countries. And cue a smile of satisfaction on the face of Rafael BenÍtez, who has four of the most promising Hungarian teenagers under contract at Liverpool, having spent the past three years plundering that and other markets in a bid to emulate Arsenal’s success in developing young players. In the past three years BenÍtez has signed 27 teenagers from overseas: six from Spain, four from Hungary, two from each of Argentina, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden and one apiece from Bulgaria, Ghana, Greece, Morocco and Paraguay. Throw in at least a dozen home-grown youngsters, many of whom helped Liverpool to win the FA Youth Cup in 2006 and 2007, and it is easy to see why BenÍtez feels that he has stolen a march on the club’s main rivals at youth level. BenÍtez could be sitting on the biggest goldmine in European football, but it could just easily prove to be the biggest scrapheap. Young players need nurturing, but at Liverpool there is a lot of bet-hedging going on. Other clubs import teenagers in large numbers – not least Arsenal, whose success with Cesc Fàbregas, in particular, changed the philosophy in England with regard to developing young players -– but none in anything like the quantities at Liverpool of late. For all the promise of Emiliano Insua, Krisztian Nemeth and Dani Pacheco, who, like Fàbregas, was procured from Barcelona’s academy, there is a recognition within the club that, at best, only a handful of those 27 will make the grade at Anfield. In one sense that is an extension of what has always been the case, with clubs running their youth set-ups on the basis that perhaps one or two players graduate to the first-team squad each year and that the rest will, with the right guidance and a bit of luck, make careers elsewhere in the game. But these were home-grown youngsters, whose clubs were doing their best to develop into footballers. This, by contrast, is a scattergun approach that leaves little or no place for local youngsters. And while clubs do not have a duty to produce players for the England team, they do have certain obligations to their communities. What is the point of Liverpool’s youth scouts trawling the parks of Merseyside when, increasingly, the club’s reserve team, let alone the first team, are dominated by overseas imports? Some say that cream always rises the top, but that is not necessarily the case, not when there is such a bottle-neck. Throughout English football players with bright futures at under19 level are frequently slipping into obscurity by their early 20s, having not been exposed to Premier League football early enough. Would Jamie Carragher, a late developer, have made the grade at Liverpool if he had been coming through the ranks now? Probably not. Would Gary Ablett, a championship winner as a player at Anfield in 1988 and 1990 and doing an excellent job as the club’s reserve-team coach? Certainly not. If players such as Stephen Darby or Jay Spearing are to follow in their footsteps and become first-team players at Liverpool, they must overcome overwhelming odds. But, unless they are nurtured correctly, no young player is a safe bet, however talented. Going back to that list of “Golden Player” winners, Torres is a leading star at Liverpool and Aquilani a talented regular for AS Roma, featuring for Italy in the recent European Championship finals, but Juanfran, having failed to fulfil his early promise at Real Madrid, is at Osasuna; Balde, who won the Golden Player award while playing for France in 2005, is a plodding striker at Metz; Bueno, at 20, has yet to make his first-team debut at Real; Ninis, having starred for Greece last summer, made little progress last season at Panathinaikos. Uefa had still to decide on the latest “Golden Player” last night. Contenders included Tomas Necid, the Sparta Prague and Czech Republic forward, and Lars and Sven Bender, the twins who play together in midfield for Munich 1860 and Germany. All three will be getting offers to move to England in the near future. Really they should stay where they are for now. For everyone’s sake, not least their own. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4412934.ece

It's coming up soon on SSN according to the ticker that's currently running along the bottom of the screen

Rafa on why he signed Keane................ RAFA: KEANE A GREAT PARTNER FOR TORRES Jimmy Rice 29 July 2008 Rafa Benitez believes Robbie Keane can be the perfect foil for 33-goal Fernando Torres next term. The Anfield boss sees the pair as a lethal combination of guile and pace capable of firing the Reds to glory in 2008-09. Speaking exclusively to Liverpoolfc.tv after the 28-year-old signed last night, Benitez said: "We were looking for a player with game intelligence and good movement who could play alongside Torres. "He can play with Torres up front and also on the right. "We knew he was a Liverpool fan since forever. We knew that he was a very good signing in terms of the commitment, the quality and the intelligence of the player. "He is a player who can give to us a lot of goals – normally he gets about 15 each year. We were looking for the workrate he can give to us, the game intelligence and also the goals." Keane scored an impressive 107 goals in 253 appearances for former club Tottenham – but the penalty box isn't the only place Benitez believes he'll have an impact. The Reds manager thinks his new boy will have a positive effect on team morale. "He has experience in the Premier League and also all the reports of his personality and professionalism are fantastic. He can be a good example for the young players," said Benitez. "I feel like he has enough experience in the game and that he has a very good mentality. He is very hungry, so everything is positive." After being unveiled to the press this morning, Keane could travel with his new teammates to Villarreal. Whenever he does make his debut, it is likely to be in the number seven shirt. Benitez added: "Yes, we were talking about the number, and the big names that have had this number, so it will be inspirational for him to have it too." One of the first questions fans will be asking when Keane does finally make his bow is whether they'll see his famous cartwheel goal celebration. The man himself says it would be rude not to bring it out once for the Kop, though Benitez has told supporters not to expect spectacular celebrations week in, week out. He said: "We will talk. It is important to score and also to celebrate afterwards, but he has to be careful just in case!" http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...080729-0827.htm

Transfer news/speculation from this morning's papers............. Following the capture of Robbie Keane, Rafa "must now find a way of financing an £18m bid for Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry & could even listen to offers for Dirk Kuyt". Reported Liverpool target David Bentley's £17m move from Blackburn to Spurs "will go through this week". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...orry-Spurs.html Rafa "has not given up hope of signing Gareth Barry". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...l-transfer.html Rafa's "pursuit of Barry would appear to be over". http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...ane-879453.html Rafa "has not given up hope of making one more big-money signing, which could be Gareth Barry". With no club willing to match Liverpool’s £16m valuation of Xabi Alonso, they could fund a move for Barry by selling Jermaine Pennant, "who is being monitored by Blackburn & would cost at least £4m", Andriy Voronin, "who is a £6m target for a number of German clubs", & Álvaro Arbeloa, who wants to return to Spain for personal reasons. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4419934.ece "With Xabi Alonso likely to remain at Anfield, it remains unclear where Liverpool will go with their chase for Barry". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4416411.ece Aston Villa's attempts to top up Barry's wages with a testimonial match "will be undermined by the taxman". HM Revenue & Customs have confirmed that "because the testimonial has been pledged as part of Barry's contract extension it is liable to a 40% deduction in income tax & another 10% in employer's national-insurance contributions" therefore "slicing his earnings from the match in half". http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jul/29/1 Arsenal, who are reportedly interested in signing Xabi Alonso & Liverpool target Gareth Barry, have tabled a £5m bid for midfielder Goekhan Inler, triggering the release clause in his contract. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ing-5m-bid.html Spurs "expect" David Villa, whom Rafa has said is (was?) on Liverpool's list of potential striking targets, to join Real Madrid & feel the public encouragement from Villa's agent last week, inviting Spurs to bid, was "an attempt to prompt the Spanish giants into action". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...la-bidding.html

It's about time we started turning corners again

The way I see it Keane adds to, not detracts from, the Torres/Gerrard partnership. Neither Mascherano nor Alonso are going to get us many goals, so we really need Gerrard's goals to be coming from midfield. I don't think that playing Gerrard in midfield will reduce the effectiveness of the link-up play between Gerrard & Torres - if you look at last season much of it came from positions Gerrard would take up while he is in midfield ie playing the ball through for Torres to run on to. So if we want a partner for Torres, what type of striker do we need? Someone who isn't going to get into Torres' way, who isn't going to try & make the same runs as him, who isn't going to want to be on the shoulder of the last defender all the time. Someone who plays off Torres, sitting a bit deeper than him, who has the ability to provide Torres with plenty of assists, but is also going to score his fair share of goals - ideally around 15-20 in all competitions. I'm struggling to think of a better player than Keane to fill this role. Plus he's a boyhood Red, a leader, hungry for success having only ever won the Carling Cup, proven in the Premiership & has scored a goal every 2.4 games for Spurs. Hopefully he'll be the Dalglish to Fernando's Rush.

.....on Liverpool tops Just imagine if it all fell through now

More transfer news/speculation from today's papers.......... Liverpool are "understood to be closing on the capture of Robbie Keane for a fee that could rise to £20m" & "now appear set to get their man". Keane is "believed to have undergone a medical" & "could even...join his new team-mates as early as Tuesday ahead of their friendly against Villarreal". Liverpool "concluded a deal [for Keane] with Spurs at the weekend". http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3877982,00.html Liverpool should complete the £18m signing of Keane "within the next 24 hours". It is "understood" that Keane underwent a medical today. "The full medical reports usually take 24 hours to complete, but Liverpool are believed to be confident that there will be no problems." http://latestnews.virginmedia.com/news/spo...on_keane_deal_1 Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill's talks with Gareth Barry aimed at persuading the player to stay at the club will take place today. Villa "seem well prepared" to allow Barry's transfer value drop from the current £18m asking price to half that in a year. http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-s...97319-21418458/ Rafa is "now...unwilling to allow Steve Finnan to leave" because of Phillip Degen's injury. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ool/7528735.stm It "looks as though" reported Liverpool target David Bentley may go to Spurs, if they "agree to meet his market value". http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport..._a_tough_start/

From Sky Sports website............. "Liverpool are understood to be closing on the capture of Tottenham striker Robbie Keane for a fee that could rise to £20million." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3877982,00.html

From BBC Gossip Column.................. Breaking Gossip Liverpool should complete the £18m signing of Robbie Keane within the next 24 hours. (Press Association, 1153 BST) http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/g...ers/7528100.stm