Keane says £6m man Jones is the 'best striker' in England
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Your support makes all the difference.Sunderland's Trinidadian striker Kenwyne Jones has impressed in his first four months in the Premier League, to the extent, his manager Roy Keane said yesterday, that Jones "is the best striker in the Premier League. If certain strikers are worth £20m he is worth £40m."
Given that Jones, 23, has scored five goals so far in his 18 Sunderland games, and given the attacking talent available at other clubs such as Sunderland's opponents today, Tottenham Hotspur, his opinion will raise eyebrows.
But Keane was adamant that the £6m signing from Southampton in August has already justified his fee and multiplied it.
"Look at the top strikers and they probably get four or five chances a game," Keane said of the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Didier Drogba. "Kenwyne gets one every four or five weeks.
"But it is his assists and overall play, his defensive work at set-pieces, which has impressed me. That's what we need. He is living off the crumbs and a lot of what he gets is down to himself. He is a good team player and you often find the top strikers are not team players, they're just about goals. But Kenwyne isn't, I wouldn't swap him."
Keane has not made any signings this week but he felt the return of Kevin Keegan to the North-east had not upped the ante for Sunderland.
"It's great to see him back in football," Keane said of the former England manager. "He is a great character who comes across as really nice man.
"But I have a big job here, which is what I am trying to do. He might have £400bn to spend but is it relevant to us?"
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