Keane – gone but certainly not missed at White Hart Lane
Robbie Keane has signalled his intent on returning to Tottenham. Speaking to Sky Sports, the on-loan Tottenham striker said: “I’ve got a three-year contract at Tottenham so I will go back there in the summer. It’s just a loan move and always has been. I’ve got a lot of friends down at Tottenham and I miss the lads – I speak to them all the time and they are doing well at the moment.”
Does anybody sense a hint of worry in those words? Well, despite the reassurance of Harry Redknapp, I’d say he has a reason to be worried. Since leaving White Hart Lane, Spurs have certainly not missed his presence. They are currently on track for a fourth place finish and the form of Roman Pavlyuchenko has left Keane’s departure very much in the shadows.
God ol ‘Arry has of course said that he will be welcoming Keane back at the end of the season but this weekend’s win at Stoke will have given him a completely new dilemma as well. Eidur Gudjohnsen was of course signed in January, a transfer which kept Spurs with 4 strikers. However, his appearance against Stoke which included a goal and a deft dummy which allowed Kranjcar to steal all three points proved exactly why he was a good buy. Keane’s struggles at Liverpool were common knowledge to all of us. His impact as a substitute was minimal and it was only when given a run of games that he could produce goals. Gudjohnsen is the opposite, even if he spends weeks on the bench, it seems he can come off and grab a goal or an assist. Surely he is a better fourth striker for Harry than Keane would be? Quite possibly I’d say.
Secondly, how would the Spurs fans welcome him back? Keane is a fans favourite and always will be but it might be for what he brought to the club in previous years than what he could bring if he comes back. If Tottenham reach the Champions League without Keane, a few fans may be more reluctant to see him coming back than if the club were to cash in on him. A few extra millions added to the Champions League windfall could bring in a top European striker to partner Defoe? Gudjohnsen and Crouch on the bench…sounds like a good attack to me?
Of course, I am not a Spurs fan. I am however hoping they can hold on to their fourth place finish. Not only do they deserve it after previous year’s failings, but it will also be interesting to see how Harry deals with business over the summer in preparation. He may have already stressed that Keane will be coming back, but with the thought of Champions League football and the whiff of cash, his mind could soon be changed. This is, after all, Harry Redknapp we are talking about. Anything is possible!
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Sef, you’ve spelt Neutral wrong in your introduction thing,
And also, I reckon Spurs will try to sell Keane this summer, but given that few Premiership sides will want an inconsistent striker demanding First team football, who also happens to be pushing 30. And the leagues abroad who might have been willing to invest in an ageing striker, won’t be willing to pay the hefty price tag that Spurs’ past tranfer exchanges will dictate. He’ll go on loan again and if he depreciates too much Spurs will just not renew his contract, but I don’t think they’ll manage to sell him. I could also be wrong though, I mean I was the one who thought Kaka would never agree to leave Milan
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Berbatov made Keane good, other than that he has been an average striker all his life. The SPL is about his standard, he can go a join Kris Boyd and Miller in a league where average players can become kings. Leave him there I say, Spurs are better without his moody face on the bench.
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