Wednesday, January 04, 2012
THE news that Robbie Keane is on the verge of confirming a return to the Premier League with Aston Villa comes as almost as big a surprise as his decision last August to relocate to the other side of the Atlantic.
But whereas the Irish skipper’s move to LA Galaxy raised eyebrows, the prospect of him joining his Irish team mates Richard Dunne and Shay Given at Villa Park, even if only on a two-month loan deal, should be universally well-received.
Criticised by many at the time for supposedly turning his back on the more serious football challenges, the move to LA Galaxy has not only brought him the bonus of a rare medal but also rejuvenated him as a player after so long in limbo at Spurs. The proof of that was evident not only in the MLS but, of much greater significance in these parts, in the thoroughly upbeat way he concluded Ireland’s successful European Championship campaign, reserving one of his most influential performances in a record-breaking phase, for what turned out to be the decisive first leg of the play-off tie against Estonia.
That Keane should be targeted by Villa is also a kind of back-handed compliment to the oft-maligned MLS, especially when taken in tandem with Landon Donovan’s recall by Everton and Thierry Henry’s return to Arsenal. They might all be special players but, clearly, Alex McLeish, David Moyes and Arsene Wenger are of the view that playing in the States hasn’t turned these guys into toothless retirees.
The surprise element of Keane’s proposed move relates specifically to the fact that he appeared to rule out just such a possibility following Galaxy’s Championship-winning season and the successful conclusion of Ireland’s bid to qualify for the Euro Finals.
"I won’t be looking to come back to Europe on loan, no way, that’s not something I want to do," he declared after the 1-1 draw with Estonia in Dublin.
Then again, Keane not looking to come back and others looking to him to do just that, are two different things. There’s also the fact that the striker was speaking in the heat of a punishing match schedule following an early return from injury, circumstances which doubtless made his wish for "time to rest and recharge my batteries" seem pretty seductive at the time. But if there’s one thing we know about Keane it’s that, even at 31, he still brings a schoolyard enthusiasm to the football pitch, so perhaps, after all, it shouldn’t come as too great a shock to see him looking to fill the MLS off-season with something more competitive than stints in the gym or the training pitch with his old club Spurs.
If terms can be agreed on a loan deal, then it will be a case of better late than never for Aston Villa in a pursuit of the player which dates back first to a failed attempt to sign him from Wolves and, more recently, to the final weeks of Martin O’Neill’s time in charge at the Birmingham club.
Last season, before he made his own controversial crosstown move, Alex McLeish had tried to sign Keane from Spurs, and the Villa boss has now renewed his interest at a time when they’re struggling for goals and there are fears he could lose the reportedly unsettled Darren Bent to Liverpool.
For Keane and Ireland, it’s a win-win situation. Giovanni Trapattoni had seemed happy enough for his captain to steer clear of competitive football until the resumption of the MLS in March, trusting that the player’s ability to stay in good condition would be enough to see him through the winter months. But there’s nothing quite like game-time, so the Ireland manager will welcome his brief return to the Premier League even if it turns out to be the case that his contributions end up coming mainly off the bench.
In fact, there’s only one possible downside as the new year accelerates towards Poland next summer: two months competing on the playing fields of the Premier League will inevitably expose Robbie Keane to a higher risk of injury, the one thing, above all others, which Trapattoni fears for all his key men ahead of the Euro finals.
But that comes with the territory and, anyway, a footballer can always come a cropper on the training pitch too.
So memo to Richard Dunne: take it easy in those five-a-sides…
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