Harry Redknapp reckons that new signing Robbie Keane was never given a fair crack of the whip at Anfield, with the Irishman making just sixteen league starts for the Reds. However, the Liverpool manager has hit back, claiming that the striker simply couldn’t cope with playing for such a big club like Liverpool.
It’s a strange claim on the basis that Keane is an experienced player, having played for Leeds and Inter Milan in addition to Spurs. He’s also represented the Republic of Ireland on countless occasions, including making several World Cup appearances. The Daily Mail report the words of Rafa, although is this just the Spaniard trying to make some kind of justification for offloading Keane?
‘Another factor is that Liverpool are a different club from most. Expectations are really high, people are asking questions every week and the pressure is on all the time. Maybe that was why he found it so difficult.
‘Do I feel any responsibility for what happened? I supported him as much as I could and gave him plenty of opportunities to show his quality. He was not treated badly. There is some disappointment it didn’t work out, but we did all we could to improve things before having to accept that sometimes you cannot make the improvement you are looking for.’
Liverpool fans, where do you stand on this debate? Do you think that the sale of Robbie Keane was justified, and that he simply wasn’t living up to his £20million price tag? Or were you against the signing in the first place, especially for a player who will be turning 30 next year? Let’s see how the Irishman copes with the pressure of a North London derby this weekend, Tottenham fans must be glad he’s back in the team.