Rickie Lambert joins Liverpool

Liverpool have confirmed striker Rickie Lambert has completed his move from Southampton.

The 32-year-old, currently out in Miami with England's World Cup squad, underwent a medical on Saturday after a fee of £4million was agreed with the Saints.

Lambert is understood to have signed a two-year deal with the club who released him as a 15-year-old.

Born in Kirkby, Merseyside, Lambert was a member of Liverpool's academy until his mid-teens, after which he found himself playing in the lower leagues for the likes of Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before finding success at Southampton.

He will provide some much-needed back-up to frontline strikers Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and while he may have to content himself with a supporting role from the bench at Anfield the chance to rejoin his boyhood club and play in the Champions League was an opportunity he did not want to miss.

"I can't believe it. I've loved this club all my life. I left here 17 years ago - and I haven't stopped loving it since," Lambert told liverpoolfc.com.

"I have always dreamt of playing for Liverpool, but I did kind of think the chance of playing for them had gone. I didn't think the chance would come.

"I know how big Liverpool are - and it means everything to me - but I know what is important; I know it's what I do on the pitch and the minutes I play."



"I know that's what matters, and that's what I'll be focused on."

Lambert's arrival at Anfield came as a surprise, especially considering manager Brendan Rodgers had previously off-loaded another player considered a target man in Andy Carroll early on in his tenure.

However, the Reds boss believes Lambert is a different kind of player and is confident he can fit in to the system while also providing a different option if required.

"I've seen Rickie Lambert over the years and he's one of those players that probably never got the recognition for what a really good footballer he is," Rodgers said.

"It's only late on in his career - at 29, 30, 31 - that people are really starting to focus on his qualities.

"He was probably seen as the traditional big number nine, a British striker that is good in the air.

"But he's one of the most accomplished footballers I've seen.

"It has been so refreshing that he's got his call into the England team, and he certainly hasn't let anyone down - he has been outstanding.

"Look at his touch, look at the level of his goals, the different types of goals he has scored over his career, and he's a specialist on penalties as well.

"I think he is a terrific footballer and any team he plays against, he's always a handful."

Lambert spent five years at Southampton, scoring 106 goals in 207 appearances, and enjoyed considerable success as they earned promotion to the Premier League.