John Barnes tells Liverpool fans: Forget a top-two finish
John Barnes believes Liverpool will still struggle to challenge for the Premier League title this season despite "the signing of the summer" - Robbie Keane.
Rafael Benitez completed the signing of Keane from Tottenham last Monday, for a fee which could rise to more than £20million.
The Republic of Ireland striker will spend the next four years at Anfield and will hope to repeat the success he enjoyed at White Hart Lane, where he scored 80 Premier League goals in 158 starts.
Benitez pulled off what was arguably the transfer of last summer when he persuaded Fernando Torres to part ways with Atletico Madrid, the club he had played for since he was a youth.
The Spanish international repaid the faith Benitez had shown in him by finishing his first season in England's top flight as second top goalscorer with 24 goals, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barnes, who scored 84 goals in 316 games during his 10-year spell at the Merseyside club, hopes Keane can repeat Torres' scoring feat next season.
The former England international told PA Sport: "Robbie Keane is the best signing the club could have made. Anyone would want him in their team, he's the signing of the summer."
Despite an impressive first season from Torres last year, Liverpool's other strikers struggled in front of goal.
The Spaniard's fellow strikers - Dirk Kuyt, Andriy Voronin and Peter Crouch - could only manage 13 league goals between them.
Steven Gerrard weighed in with 11 league goals to ensure Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League, earning them another crack at the Champions League.
Former Celtic manager Barnes said he was sure that Keane would succeed where Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch had failed.
He also said Keane's signing would reduce the pressure on Gerrard and help balance the side by pushing the Liverpool captain back into his familiar midfield role.
Barnes explained: "Liverpool needed a striker so that Steven Gerrard could go back in his favourite midfield position.
"We needed a creative and a hard-working forward who can link midfield and attack and Robbie Keane is perfect for that role," he said.
Barnes said that despite Keane's arrival, Liverpool would not be able to finish in the top two this season.
He continued: "I'm confident they'll do well but I don't think they'll win the league.
"I think they are closer to the top but it will still be between Manchester United and Chelsea, they are the favourites.
"At one point we were 30-odd points off the top but last season they were only 11 off.
"I think you can't expect Liverpool to just jump up there all of a sudden like the fans think they can do.
"You have to be realistic and I think getting closer to the top and finishing third would be a success."
Barnes added that he would like to see Liverpool owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks give Benitez a more money and sign at least one more player before the start of the season.
"You always want to see more investment in the club and I'm no different. We'll just have to wait and see.
"I'd like to see Gareth Barry at Liverpool. He's a good player but signing Keane was more important.
"We needed a second striker but Barry is a good holding midfielder so he would be the icing on the cake."
Barnes was speaking ahead of an England v Germany legends match at Sheffield United's ground, Bramall Lane, in aid of the people of Sichuan, the area of China devastated by a massive earthquake in May.
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I'm surprised at some of the negativity coming from Digger.
Surely he realises that, with a new manager possibly needing time to find his feet in the Prem, Arsenal having sold half their squad and the Scummers looking racked with injuries and suspensions early doors in the season, we could actually steal a march on the others and forge on.
It's all well and good harping on about 11 point gaps, but if we'd scored three more goals last season we'd have won the league!
I have a good feeling about this squad and this season...
New manager at Chelsea, obviously.
I agree with RedSam, it is all very well Barnes being coy about our progress but we do not have to make up 11 points. That is a common mistaken bit of thinking.
We start on zero points difference just like all the other teams. The likes of Man U had a helluva season with their want-away pretty boy Ronaldo scoring 40-odd goals. They have to repeat that level of play in the league throughout this season as improvements will be hard to come by.
Chelsea have spent big on two players but it will be hard to see an improvement commensurate with that investment.
Liverpool had clear weaknesses where the other two did not. We were weak up front despite the superb Torres, without whom we would have been out of the top four probably. No other striker gave us anything like good value in terms of goals (Kuyt was good with the assists) and so Keane is a quality investment from whom I expect to see a considerable rise in goals scored. We have quality at left-back in Dossena who will keep us on the attack better than Aurelio who is more defensive.
We also have a couple of surprise options. Plessis could get more play time than last season and I have been impressed with the young striker N'Gog who could well be the surprise bargain buy of the season at just £1.5m and already looking more likely to score for us than Voronin.
The measure of a team is how much improvement it can make. Liverpool gave away silly points to lwer sides last season. I think the return of Agger will help change things there.
So Barnesy, thanks for your opinion but I think we can definitely close the gap and take the title.
Rob