Pompey zero in on Crouch - is it a good move?

It is being reported all over the press that Peter Crouch is on his way back to Portsmouth in a £11million deal but is this a good move for the England front man?

To put it simply - the answer is yes, yes it is.

The 6ft7” striker has been linked with a move to the South Coast all summer. Despite reports linking him with a move to Spurs in part-exchange for Robbie Keane or as part of the prolonged Gareth Barry saga, the player himself has never wavered from his desire to a return to the club with whom he played for nearly a season in the 2001/2002 season.

It was of course Harry Redknapp who sold Crouch to help fund Portsmouth's promotion but the manager still rated the player. He brought him in to Southampton when he was trying to keep the club in the top flight and his 12 goals in 27 goals nearly did the trick. What it did do though was put him back in the eyes of top clubs and Liverpool came in and took him to Anfield for £7million.

He became a cult figure at Anfield scoring some important goals for the club and earning international recognition. He has scored regularly at the top table and was England's leading scorer during qualification for Euro 2008, he even scored at the 2006 World Cup, so he has clearly shown he can do it.

This season however he has been relegated down the pecking order at Liverpool. With the signing of Fernando Torres the club added a World Class striker who the gaffer didn't see as a good partner for Crouch. This has left the England front man looking for regular football and he had offers but his heart was set on a move to the FA Cup winners.

Crouch will link up with fellow England striker Jermain Defoe at Fratton Park to put together a 'little and large' front duo. He has been sold on the idea of the two of them working together up front and is excited at the ambitious plans that the club have for the future.

Crouch spurning Spurs and Aston Villa for Portsmouth makes a lot of sense. At Portsmouth he'll be part of a dynamic partnership on paper, at Spurs it isn't sure whether he'd be part of the first choice pair and at Villa they play a 4-3-3 with John Carew already on staff.

Portsmouth are in the UEFA Cup and it keeps Crouch involved in a European competition. The club are also one with exciting attacking players who are also being heavily linked with another England squad member Shaun Wright-Phillips. If that one comes to fruition then he'll be fed chances from SWP, Niko Krancjar and Lassana Diarra, if that trio doesn't excite you then very few will.

Peter Crouch & Jermain Defoe - two names I predict will be heavily picked in fantasy teams up and down the land come August.