Benitez dragging his heels in transfer saga
The statement from Aston Villa insisting Gareth Barry will not be leaving the club does nothing but drag an already tedious situation on and on.
I really can’t see why they just don’t get on with it. Villa say they have set a deadline but you can’t tell me that, if Liverpool boss Rafa Bentez matches their valuation of the player now, the transfer won’t go through.
It’s an awkward situation for everyone. Gareth has already had his say and the fact he was named as a substitute in the Intertoto Cup tie against Odense tells me exactly where he fits into Martin O’Neill’s plans.
For Liverpool, the signing of Barry would be the final piece of the jigsaw and for the sake of a couple of million, I can’t see why they just don’t get on with it on put everyone out of their misery
The arrival of Robbie Keane at Anfield is an interesting one, but I think this could be just the signing Liverpool have been waiting for. Yes, it’s a lot of money for a 28-year-old, but Keane is a quality player with a proven track record.
Wobbly
He’s used to acting as a support striker, under Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham, and will be the perfect foil for Fernando Torres, while chipping in with a good few goals himself.
Undoubtedly, Tottenham will miss him and work is already in place at White Hart Lane to fill that void.
The problem Tottenham have, however, is with Berbatov. The Bulgarian has been known to throw the odd wobbly and if a move to Manchester United is what he wants, then Keane’s departure could be the straw to break the camel’s back. Replacing Keane is hard enough, but Keane and Berbatov is a different matter.
It looks as though Juande Ramos has his man in David Bentley, however, and that could be a good move for the former Arsenal man, who is trying to establish himself as David Beckham’s successor on the right of midfield.
While Bentley should flourish, so could Paul Robinson, who has moved in the other direction for the exact same reason, to enhance his England chances.
Robinson will have it all to do, however. Brad Friedel has been one of the Premier League’s top goalkeeper’s in recent years and filling his shoes will be no easy task.