Liverpool FC News: Robbie Keane can fire Liverpool to glory

Liverpool FC News: Robbie Keane can steer Liverpool to Title, says Benitez

Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane goes to his old Tottenham Hotspur stamping ground on Saturday with a glowing vote of confidence from his Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez. In the latest Liverpool news Benitez believes players like Robbie Keane have made Liverpool, the leaders of the Premier League, superior even to his 2005 Champions League winners.

Keane took time to settle at Anfield following his £20million summer move from White Hart Lane but Benitez has no doubts Robbie the Irishman will prosper and add to his tally of two goals. "He has experience and he knows in a top side like Liverpool you have to win, to score goals, but he is working very hard,'' Benitez said.

"People talked about the work-rate of [Dirk] Kuyt and now he is scoring goals and Robbie Keane will be the same. Desire is the key word. He has passion. He's a Liverpool fan.''

Benitez, who reiterated his view that Spurs made a mistake in sacking Juande Ramos, will decide this morning whether to start Fernando Torres, who has recovered from his hamstring problem, or continue with Robbie Keane as his central striker.

Keane can play wide but Benitez argued that his best position was "clearly as a second striker or one of the strikers with some freedom because he has good movement''. The arrival of Keane and the Spanish winger, Albert Riera, has enhanced Benitez's belief in the team.

"We won the Champions League because it was a good team,'' the Liverpool manager said. "Now this team I feel is a little bit better. We knew technically Riera is good. Physically he is a good player for the Premier League. He is a winner. He takes responsibility.''

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Football News: Robbie Keane to Liverpool the Priority

Football News: Benitez now making Robbie Keane to Liverpool his main game

Rafa Benitez is, almost unbelievably, after the yet to be resolved Gareth Barry saga, making Robbie Keane's move to Liverpool his top transfer priority.

Given Liverpool's limited funds, the wealth of midfield options he has, he is now concentrating on bringing Irish striker Keane to Liverpool. All this begs the question on the Barry saga, what was all that about? If Keane has always been the priority, why wait until now to make him as such. Poor old Gareth Barry must be getting a bit worried if he will be playing any football this season, or will he be left to rot in the stands by Aston Villa, with Liverpool unwilling to meet the asking price.

We reckon Robbie Keane to Liverpool is a done deal and we can see why. Keane just behind Torres is a quality partnership, and a great improvement on Crouch, Kuyt and Voronin et al. Liverpool will look a whole lot better if Keane does move from Tottenham. As for the Barry to Liverpool saga - well we reckon Rafa Benitez is playing a game of brinkmanship, and trying to slowly, slowly grind Aston Villa down to a price he can afford to pay. The brinkmanship is if Barry gets nervous, and tells his agent he would go to Highbury as well as Anfield. Villa know the longer it goes on, the lower his value becomes as he has clearly played his last game for the club.

Overall we reckon they are two done deals, eventually! A suitor for Alonso will emerge from Spain, Villa will cave in, and Robbie Keane will be hightailing it north in a move to Liverpool. Boy do these transfers drag on!!

Football News: Keane to Liverpool delay

Football News: Robbie Keane's move to Liverpool maybe delayed as Levy postures

Latest football news has it that Robbie Keanes move to Liverpool maybe delayed as an 'outraged' Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, has complained to the FA about Liverpool and Manchester United's conduct in their pursuit of Robbie Keane and Berbatov.

Liverpool suspect Robbie Keanes club are trying to soften up Spurs fans to the impending departure of both players. Also they further suspect Levy is more angry with Sir Alex Ferguson for his public comment that 'its only a matter of time' before Berbatov moves.

As for Liverpool tapping up Keane - well Mr Levy thats part and parcel of football I'm afraid. It's why Owen and McManaman left Liverpool and why Ronaldo is on his way too. Also Mr Levy seems to have forgotten his part in the tapping up of their present coach Ramos, while Martin Jol was still the manager!

Its well known Robbie Keane is a boyhood Liverpool fan - one of the few who can genuinely say it, even as Jamie Carragher famously said 'they all say that don't they'! Football Focus thinks there was zero tapping up required for Robbie Keane to want to move to Liverpool, and they wouldn't have needed to make the interest known via the media. It's not like they couldn't let him know via a discreet third party is it? Football Focus thinks Levy's words over Keanes move to Liverpool is pure posturing.

Robbie Keane to Liverpool should be a great move for all parties. Spurs get a fat amount of cash to balance the books, Liverpool get a great partner for Torres and Keane gets that move to Livepool he never thought was coming!