KUYT AND BENITEZ

Kuyt officially signs for Liverpool

Rafa Benitez and Dirk Kuyt have been speaking following the conclusio of Kuyt's signing yesterday.

Rafa was thrilled with the signing:

"I have been monitoring Dirk's progress for a very long time," confirmed Benitez.

"I had a former player who played with Dirk at FC Utrecht and he told me how good he was. I tried to sign him last season but it was impossible so we waited and now he is a Liverpool player.

"My former player also told me he had a passion for Liverpool and he would want to come here.

"He has scored a lot of goals in Holland and he is a player in my opinion we needed now. He has game intelligence and can give us different things.

"He is also a player who will give his all and he is a very good worker. He always scores goals and has only missed one game in three years. I'm not saying he is going to score 30 goals this season but I hope so. All I know is he will score goals and give us a lot of assists as well.

"He is very clever on the pitch and he can play with Fowler, Crouch and Bellamy. I know he played in a wide role for Holland during the World Cup but for me he is a striker not a winger."

The official website carried an interview with Dirk Kuyt:

Liverpoolfc.tv: Dirk welcome to Liverpool, how pleased are you to be here now?

Dirk Kuyt: "I'm happy to be here. I think Liverpool is a fantastic club with a fantastic history and for me it's a dream come true playing for such a big club in the Premier League."

I think you said when you left Feyenoord you would only leave for your dream club. Why is Liverpool that dream club?

"Because they have a fantastic team and a fantastic crowd. It's a very big club who have won a lot of European Cups and I also think they are going to play for trophies, so that's very important for me."

At this stage of your career is it big trophies you are after now and Liverpool are the club you obviously feel can fulfil that ambition for you?

"Yeah I think Liverpool is full of ambition. I think the squad is getting better every year so for me it's the right time to come here. Liverpool is a fantastic club and also a very famous club."

The speculation has been going on for a long time and the supporters have been getting very excited thinking is he coming, isn't he coming. What was it like for you?

"It was difficult because in my head I was already with Liverpool but I still had to play for Feyenoord. But I'm very satisfied it is now done and I can train and I can start with Liverpool. I can't wait to start and play matches for Liverpool."

Is it a wrench to leave Feyenoord even though you've moved on to a club the size of Liverpool?

"I told the supporters of Feyenoord I only wanted to leave the club for a bigger club and I think Liverpool is. I have spoken to a lot of the Feyenoord supporters and they are very disappointed I am leaving but they know Liverpool is a fantastic club and they want the best for me. So they are not so happy but for me they are happy."

Obviously you were in the Dutch squad for the World Cup and you'll know Jan Kromkamp. Did you speak to him about Liverpool at all?

"I spoke with Jan about the club and he said what I already was thinking that it's a fantastic club with fantastic people who are working for Liverpool and beautiful supporters."

You've been at the club for one day, have those early impressions been proved to be right and everyone been welcoming to you?

"For me the biggest impression is Liverpool is such a big club but it looks so familiar. I got a very warm feeling when I met the first people at the club and so far so good."

You obviously had a fantastic scoring record at Feyenoord. How confident are you that you can reproduce that sort of form in English football?

"I hope I can score a lot of goals but for me the most important thing is we play as good as we can as a team. When a team is playing well and when I'm playing well I know I'm going to score goals and I know I'm going to make goals. For me it's not so important that I score 30 goals but it's more important to hold up trophies at the end of the season. That's the most important thing."

For those fans who might not have seen you play can you tell them what will you bring to this team and what are your qualities?

"I think I'm going to work really hard for the team. The team is the most important thing and I can make goals and I can hold up the ball as well."

At Feyenoord you were the main man the top striker but here there is Robbie Fowler, Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy. Are you ready to fight for your place?

"Yes. I can't wait to play with them and I know I have to fight for my place. It's good competition when you have strikers with such quality. The most important thing is the team and we win games and I hope to play an important role in this."

How impressed have you been with the manager Rafael Benitez?

"I know he was interested in me for a long time and I'm looking forward to working with him."

Because you know he's been after you for a long time does it make you more determined to come here and prove he was right to be so interested?

"I can't wait to play and prove myself. I know I'm good enough for the Premier League and the Champions League but I want to show it with my feet and I can't wait to play."

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