| ROBBIE FOWLER |
| Personal Stats DOB: 9th April 1975 Birthplace: Liverpool Height: 5'11" Career Stats: Squad No. 27 Position: Striker Date Signed: 29th November Signed from: Liverpool Transfer fee: reported �11million International Honours:England Full, U-21 Previous Clubs: Liverpool 330 games/171 goals Profile The arrival of Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler may go down as one of the shrewdest purchases by a Leeds manager since Don Revie bought Allan Clarke from Leicester City in 1969. Clarke was Revie's final piece in his jigsaw, while present boss David O'Leary hopes that the Toxteth scoring machine, widely accepted as England's most natural goalscorer, will fire his side to Premiership and European glory. The sensational switch will go a long way to eradicating the painful memory of when Howard Wilkinson allowed Eric Cantona to move across the Pennines to one of Leeds' biggest championship rivals. Fowler's move the other way in similar circumstances may prove to be just as effectual for the trophy cabinet at Elland Road. A staunch Evertonian as a boy Robbie Fowler was spotted by Liverpool as a boy and was signed up as a 14 year old. His Reds debut in September 1993 as an 18 year old couldn't have been more sensational as he scored all five in the second-leg league cup demolition of Fulham. In the 1996/97 season he scored 31 goals and won his first England cap. His remarkable goal-scoring ability won him comparisons with some of the English greats including Jimmy Greaves. But after five wonderful years at Anfield injury problems arose, including a year out of the game after an operation on an ankle. The emergence of Michael Owen and the purchase of Emile Heskey from Leicester started to cast a cloud over his future and when Jari Litmanen joined the club from Barcelona early in 2001, Fowler seemed reluctant to discuss a new contract with Liverpool as he struggled to gain a regular place in Gerard Houllier's side. That prompted Premiership clubs, including Chelsea and Aston Villa, to table �12 million transfer bids rejected by Liverpool, although there were suggestions that the London offer was close to being accepted. A brief return to form and all-ups for the England squads in the spring of 2001 were a brief bright interlude, but there was new speculation about the striker's future after he was left out of the team for both the FA Cup final and the UEFA Cup final, although Robbie insisted that he would stay and fight for his place. He scored Liverpool's fourth goal against Alaves in Dortmund and the club's only goal from open play as Liverpool beat Birmingham on penalties in the Worthington Cup final earlier in the season. As stand-in captain for the injured Jamie Redknapp, he lifted all of Liverpool's three trophies that season. Houllier's stance for the 2001/02 campaign had been to use Fowler as back up to his preferred choice of Owen and Heskey and the speculation that he was to leave Anfield became more intense by the week. The bright spots for Robbie were a hat-trick against Leicester City and a wonderful goal for England against Albania in September. Admired by United boss David O'Leary for some time, the Irishman got the news that he had waited for when on Tuesday November 27 when Liverpool accepted United's bid allowing Fowler to end his 12 year association with Anfield and start a bright new future at Elland Road. He left Merseyside with a record of 171 goals in 330 matches for Liverpool. |
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