Peter Crouch was today unveiled as Portmouth's latest signing, with Harry Redknapp saying he was delighted to have been able to persuade the Liverpool forward to join the club.

The England forward has completed an £11 million move from Liverpool, signing a four-year deal with the club he left in 2001 after passing a medical at Fratton Park.

"When I first mentioned Peter to Peter Storrie [the Portsmouth chief executive] last year, I didn't think we'd get him," Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, said. "We all know what a fantastic place Liverpool is and what a fantastic place it is to play football.

"Peter Storrie has worked hard and delivered our man. I had no need to speak to him [Crouch] because I know him well and I know what he's about. He'll be a real threat here, a real handful. He has great ability and is a tall lad so you can drop balls off him and he's great at bringing people into play. There's no reason why he can't get a lot of goals here this year."

Redknapp also predicted that Fabio Capello, the England manager, would be a regular visitor to Fratton Park as the ranks of established internationals at the club continues to grow. "When you look at our team we have David James, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Peter and Jermain Defoe," he said. "We have five players he'll want to keep an eye on this year."

Crouch is convinced the FA Cup winners are a team on the up, and could even qualify for the Champions League. "This is an ambitious club," he said. "It's getting a new stadium and it's going places. The squad and the team is in place to challenge.

"This year, coming on the back of winning the FA Cup, we might be able to improve our league form. There's a nucleus of clubs just behind the big four, where we are at the moment, and I think we can get to the top of that queue.

"I've signed for four years and hopefully beyond that. I certainly believe within that time frame we can get into that top four."