THE REPUBLIC of Ireland skipper Robbie Keane turned down the opportunity to stay in the English Premier League with his former club Wolves on the last day of the transfer window it emerged yesterday.
The move would have meant being reunited with former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy, the man who handed the striker his first senior caps, and getting to play alongside his current international team-mate, Kevin Doyle, but ultimately the Dubliner preferred to head for Glasgow until the summer.
Wolves are currently struggling near the foot of the Premier League table with goals a major problem for McCarthy’s men.
The club had been repeatedly linked with Stephen Hunt who, they felt, would improve the attacking side of their game, although it had originally been thought that matching his €40,000 a week salary at a club with such a tight wage structure might rule out the move.
In the end, the move failed to happen because Hull, threatened with relegation themselves, declined to sell, and the Wolves chief executive, Jez Moxley, yesterday made it clear just how far they were prepared to extend themselves financially in their search for more prolific players when he revealed he and the board had agreed to cover Keane’s wages in full, a figure believed to run to roughly twice that of Hunt’s, as well as a €1.15 million fee to complete the loan deal.
“We asked about Robbie Keane and I spoke to Tottenham on a couple of occasions,” said Moxley.
“We knew what his wages were and we would have done that but he wasn’t going to come to us. Almost every loan at this level also comes with a really hefty fee, but we would have pushed the boat out to get Robbie. In the end, though, the opportunity to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to play for Celtic was too much of a pull.”
Keane, who made his debut for Celtic in last night’s defeat to Kilmarnock, certainly looked happy to be at his new club late on Monday night, with the 29-year-old Dubliner relaxed and upbeat as he answered questions after having been greeted outside by some 3,000 fans a little before midnight.
Financially, it made little or no difference to the player himself where he went but by opting to go to the SPL he has taken himself out the limelight somewhat and the move represents something of a gamble for a striker whose longer term future still looks decidedly uncertain.
The Irishman has almost precisely the same opportunity to make an impact for his new club as Craig Bellamy did when Martin O’Neill brought him to Parkhead in 2005. Bellamy scored nine in 15 games, a very healthy return, and did his own slightly battered reputation a fair bit of good but Celtic still missed out on the league that year.
Expectations in Keane’s case, however, will probably be even higher but it is hard to imagine the Dubliner could make enough of an impact for Celtic to overtake Rangers to the top of the table given the scale of the lead they have allowed their rivals to open over the course of the season so far.
That would effectively leave Keane aiming to pick up a cup winner’s medal and help Tony Mowbray’s side to make sure of their place in the Champions League qualifying rounds for next season and it seems far from certain that he would not have been better off looking to rediscover his goalscoring touch and best form in the Premier League by moving within it, as the likes of Darren Bent and Carlton Cole had done with considerable success when they moved from Tottenham to Sunderland and Chelsea to West Ham respectively.
Keane, however, seemed to have few reservations himself about the decision he had taken in the end even if like Harry Redknapp, he made it fairly clear he anticipates his time in Glasgow being relatively short.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “I’m here until the end of the season to get games. It’s worked out well for myself, Tottenham and Celtic but that’s as far ahead as I’ve thought; I’m looking forward to playing games.
“I could have stayed there (White Hart Lane), sitting on the bench and be a bit part player but people who know me know that that’s not me. I’m not the type to sit about and just pick up my money. I love playing football.
“I think it was inevitable that I would play for Celtic some day,” he added, “and I’m here now. And I’m coming here at a good age. I didn’t want to come here at maybe 34 (the age Roy Keane upon his arrival at the club three years ago), when I was maybe struggling.”
Keane Facts
1980: Born Robert David Keane in Dublin on July 8th.
1994: Joins Wolves, managed by former England manager Graham Taylor, despite interest from top-flight clubs.
1997: Signs professional contract for Wolves in July.
1998: Makes international debut for the Republic of Ireland as a substitute against Czech Republic.
1999: August – Joins Coventry for £6 million to become the most expensive teenager in the Premier League and scores twice on his debut as Derby are beaten at Highfield Road.
2000: July – Joins Inter Milan for £13 million on five-year deal.
December – Leeds secure Keane on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent £12 million transfer.
2001: May – Completes permanent move to Leeds.
2002: July 2nd — Leeds agree a fee with Sunderland for the player but he decides against the move.
August – Joins Tottenham for £7 million.
2004: October 13th — Becomes Republic's all-time record goalscorer with first-half double in 2-0 win over Faroe Islands in World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road, surpassing Niall Quinn's total of 21 and moving onto 23.
2007: May – Signs new five-year contract with Spurs.
July 28th – Joins Liverpool in a deal worth £20.3 million, signing a four-year contract.
October 1st — Scores first goal for Liverpool in 3-1 Champions League win at PSV Eindhoven.
November 8th — Finally nets first Premier League goals for new club with two in 3-0 win against West Brom.
February 2nd — Signs a four-year deal with Tottenham, who pay an initial fee of £12 million.
September 5th — Reaches 40 goals for Republic of Ireland with winner against Cyprus.
September 26th — Scores four goals in Tottenham’s 5-0 win over Hull in the Premier League.
November 18th — Scores 41st international goal in 1-1 draw against France, in a World Cup play-off. France qualify 2-1 on aggregate, thanks to a controversial goal from William Gallas, after Thierry Henry handballed.
2010: February 1st — Signs for Celtic on loan until the end of the season.
