Crouch opts for Portsmouth comeback
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Article summary
England striker Peter Crouch, 27, is to return to UEFA Cup debutants Portsmouth FC in a reported €13.8m move from Liverpool FC after agreeing personal terms.
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Medical
The 2.01m-tall forward previously played for Portsmouth during the 2001/02 season, scoring 18 goals in 37 games, and will end a three-year spell at Liverpool in the next 48 hours after completing a medical. A former Tottenham Hotspur FC trainee, the 27-year-old Crouch lists Queen's Park Rangers FC, Aston Villa FC, Norwich City FC and Southampton FC among his former clubs. He has struck 14 goals in 28 games for England, and will relish spearheading the Portsmouth attack when the FA Cup holders enter the UEFA Cup from the first round.
Reluctant seller
Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez admitted he had been reluctant to sell Crouch, saying: "I am proud of the progress he has made. When we brought him here people were talking ... but he showed his quality; showed he was a good player and a fantastic professional. He is a nice person. We know we will miss him but you can't stop a player who wants to play every week. He understands that with [Fernando] Torres here and [Steven] Gerrard as a second striker, like he was at the end of last season, it will be difficult for him. I can understand that he wants to play every week."
