Liverpool Signs Robbie Keane

Liverpool signed Robbie Keane from Tottenham to a 4-year deal over the weekend. The teams agreed to a transfer fee or about 18 million pounds ($35.8 Million US). Keane became the 15th player in team history to hit the 100 goals scored mark for Tottenham.

He will be counted on at Liverpool to replace striker Peter Crouch who moved to Portsmouth. Manager Rafael Benitez is looking forward to having Keane and Fernando Torres upfront.

Keane helped Liverpool win the League Cup last season and was a very popular player with Tottenham. He is the leading scorer for Ireland with 33 goals and is well respected throughout the world.

"I would like to place on record my thanks to the board, players and fans of Tottenham for the past six years, which were the best and most enjoyable of my career to date.” Keane said, "I will never forget them. I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding, that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn't let pass me by.

I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this too. I have only good things to say about my time at Tottenham and expect them to go from strength to strength under Juande Ramos and Daniel Levy.''

Not everyone is happy with the move by Keane to Liverpool. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was very upset. "I was incredibly disappointed when I first heard, not only that Liverpool had been working behind the scenes to bring Robbie to Anfield, but that Robbie himself wanted to go and he submitted a transfer request to this effect." Levy made a complaint to the Premier League but withdrew it after getting an apology and a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. “I have already made my opinion clear on the nature of this transaction. I don't regard it as a transfer deal - that is something which happens between two clubs when they both agree to trade - this is very much an enforced sale, for which we have agreed a sum of £19million as compensation plus a potential further £1.3million in additional compensation'' Levy said.

Fernando Torres expects to have a great season now that Keane is on board. Torres has a lot of respect for Benitez and believes a trophy could be in the future for Liverpool. Torres is coming off winning a title for Spain in Euro 2008.

“Euro 2008 was my first major title, but I don't want it to end here. I want it to be the first of many titles because I want to win trophies with Liverpool. I know how much that would mean to the club and the fans.

They gave me terrific support during Euro 2008 and I know that they were cheering for Spain, which is something I will never forget."

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