Robbie Keane Completes Liverpool Transfer

July 28, 2008 by CLDsport

Robbie Keane Joins Liverpool Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has completed his move to Liverpool for an initial fee of £19million that could rise to £20.3million.

Keane passed a medical at Anfield on Monday, before putting pen to paper on a 4-year deal reportedly worth £80,000 a week.

Tottenham have also agreed not to pursue their official complaint to the Premier League in relation to Liverpool’s pursuit of the player. Liverpool have apologised, and agreed to make a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy has revealed that Keane’s transfer was an ‘enforced’ deal with Liverpool’s illegal approach to the player, along with a transfer request from Keane himself.

Levy said on the club’s official website:

“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 submitted a transfer request to this effect.

“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 £19m as compensation plus a potential further £1.3m in additional compensation.”

Robbie Keane said:

“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.

“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.”

Keane has been a lifelong Liverpool fan, and almost joined the Reds in 1997, before choosing Wolverhampton Wanderers in the hope of more regular football, and an increased chance of breaking into the first team.

The 28-year-old has scored 169 goals in 443 professional club games during his career that has seen him play for 5 clubs (Liverpool being his 6th), and has now been involved with transfers totalling £58million following his move to Anfield.

Keane is also the current Republic of Ireland captain, and record goalscorer with 33 in 81 appearances.

Tottenham obviously didn’t let the news of the Irishman’s departure affect them this evening, as they hammered Norwich City at Carrow Road. Darren Bent scored 4 as Spurs’ finished as 5-1 winners.

See Keane’s news conference by Clicking Here

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