In late January, Rafael Benitez the manager of Liverpool was demanding that he have total control of transfers at the football club. No-one can take this request seriously, now that Robbie Keane has returned to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee that starts at £12million before rising with add-ons relating to appearances. There was no great outlay of cash for Spurs as Liverpool still owed them a lot of money.
Keane’s departure leaves Liverpool short of experienced strikers, though it has to be said that Keane was desperately short of confidence and was playing badly too. If something were to happen to Fernando Torres, Benitez’ first choice strikeforce would be Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog, a combination that wouldn’t strike fear into too many defences in the Premier League, let alone in Liverpool’s future opponents in the Champions League.
If Benitez was planning to sell Robbie Keane, it makes you wonder why he didn’t try and acquire a replacement such as Emile Heskey, recently sold by Wigan to Aston Villa. Maybe Benitez’ contract negotiations are occupying too much of his mind right now and he isn’t thinking straight. Liverpool didn’t acquire anyone in the transfer window, not even on loan, an oversight which might cost them dear. Players of the quality of Ricardo Quaresma were available. I think Benitez should have tried to buy either of Hamburg’s Croatian strikers, Olic or Petric, to form a
It makes you wonder whether Hicks’ and Gillett’s plans to sell the club have forced Benitez to stop buying players. All this uncertainty must be affecting the players