Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has admitted he wanted to keep Peter Crouch as the England striker prepares to complete his move to Portsmouth.
Crouch has completed a medical at Fratton Park and the finer points of his £11million move back to the south coast are almost complete with Pompey set to formally confirm the move soon.
"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, 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 made it clear that he will now try to sign a replacement striker, and refused to rule out a possible move for Spanish star David Villa.
"We have 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."
Harry Kewell and John Arne Riise have already left Anfield with Peter Crouch set to depart soon.
Andrea Dossena and Philip Degen have been the new arrivals so far and they could be joined by Aston Villa's Gareth Barry if his club is willing to agree to Liverpool's renewed offer.
I think £11million is too much for Crouch, yes, he's good in the air and a good finisher but £11million?
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3 months ago
He's smart to leave. Torres and Kuyt are obviously first choice strikers. And if Villa is on his way like Rafa hopes then there's no way Crouch would play.
3 months ago
Good move for Crouch as he'll get plenty of playing time at Pompey, which he would not have got at Liverpool. I do think £11m is too much for him but it's the nature of the English transfer market these days. It's certainly a good piece of business for Liverpool, making a profit on a squad player.
3 months ago
£11 million? Is it too much for crouch? I would have said yes a few weeks ago. But now that I see Barrys price rocketing up to a possible £18 million, I think £11 million is a snatch for an ENGLISH international who has a good scoring record also.
In comparison to Barry, Carrick, Rooney etc. Its a good price.
3 months ago
when your buying English, the price rockets. Thats the truth, Defoe, Barry, Crouch, Joe Cole, Carrick, Rooney, Ferdinand etc...
however he could turn out to be perfect foil for Defoe and Pompey could do well in Europe as a result.
3 months ago
It is a complete joke how the price of an English player has gone throught the roof!!
Do I think that Crouch is WORTH 11m.....hell no, but in the current climate that see's Carrick go for 18m and Barry bieng touted for 18-20m then Rafa is right to make some money on him.
Sorry to see him go but good luck at Pompey
3 months ago
I think its a good deal for everyone involved.
Firstly, Crouch has 14 goals in 26 caps for a country who have been in the FIFA Rankings Top 10 for most of that time, that is surely worthy of an £11m fee, whether the country was England, Brazil, Spain or Argentina.
Secondly, Portsmouth get a proven Premier League striker, a former player with European experience, who can form a very effective partnership with a fellow England team-mate. Crouch and Defoe will give Portsmouth the attack to worry most teams next season, at home and in the UEFA Cup. Crouch is also a good age at 27.
Thirdly, Liverpool make a £4m profit on a player who would have only been a regular substitute and fill-in player at best, and who many laughed at for the £7m they paid for him at the time.
Finally, Crouch gets the first team football he wants, in a team challenging at the top 6, playing in the UEFA Cup, and with a good mix of experienced internationals.
Everyone is a winner in this transfer, and I am sure Crouch will be a big success at Portsmouth. I wish him all the best and thank him for his professionalism, hard-work, and some quality goals during his Liverpool career. I am sure he will get a very warm welcome back at Anfield on Wednesday October 29th.
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