Peter Crouch Moving to Portsmouth

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch is expected to sign with Portsmouth. The transfer was in the final stages of being completed and although Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez understands the reasoning, he is sorry to lose Crouch.

"He is a good professional and a nice person, and we would have wanted him to stay. We offered him a new contract. But sometimes you have to understand the player" said Benitez.

"He wanted to play a lot more, and with Fernando Torres now first choice, that was always going to be difficult. I can understand Peter's situation. But he did very well for this club and we always supported him when people doubted the decision to bring him to Anfield." Benitez said.

Liverpool is hoping to get Spain striker David Villa but that seems unlikely. "We have Fernando Torres, Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard, who can play as a second striker. But we will try to bring in another option. Villa is a player we know all about and he is on our list. But maybe it will be difficult."

In other soccer headlines, Premier League clubs are still interested in signing Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin. It was reported that Arshavin would only sign with Barcelona but the two sides can’t come to an agreement. Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all thought to be interested in the Russian.

Barcelona may now be out of the picture which would open the door for one of the Premier League clubs. Arshavin’s team, Zenit St. Petersburg has said that they have not received any other offers for Arshavin to this point.

The transfer season is in high gear as many teams are looking to set their rosters for next season. Arsenal and Tottenham are battling for Real Madrid’s Ruben de la Red. The transfer fee is expected to be about £15 million. Aston Villa could also be in the running for de la Red but the price tag could be too high for any of the three teams.

Arsenal is also battling Manchester United for Ajax striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar. The striker has scored 70 times in 82 appearances for Ajax.

Early 2008 Barclay's Premiership odds at Wagerweb.com have Liverpool at +700.