Irish boss Giovanni Trapattoni has spoken for the first time about Robbie Keane’s position as first-choice Irish striker and captain being under possible threat.
Announcing the 29 player squad for the February Carling Cup game against Wales, the Ireland manager said he was "disappointed" that Keane had yet to find a new club and expressed the hope that the Spurs striker still had time to sort out his club future and get back playing on a regular basis.
But while Trapattoni indicated that Keane would benefit from the boost of being selected to play against Wales, his longer-term future in an Ireland shirt now appears much less certain, with even his chances of playing the full game in the Euro Championship qualifier against Macedonia in March dependent on the amount of game time he might get between now and the game.
"If Robbie does not find a club, we can evaluate other options before the qualifying game," said Trapattoni. "We need players with rhythm, mentality, condition. There are situations that might still be open to Robbie. I said to him that all that is important is that he gets a move and plays. It’s not important if he plays Premiership, Championship or in Europe — he could even go to America.
"I don’t know if it’s true if he had an opportunity to go to Birmingham but I do hope now that he immediately gets a move. It’s important that he plays."
Trapattoni would only reluctantly drop his talisman and said that he must balance the issue of Keane’s lack of match sharpness against the effect of the loss of such an experienced player.
"At this moment we can only wait and hope that he immediately gets a move," he said. "Yes, we can make a change but it’s always dangerous to put too much weight on the shoulders of young players. Robbie and Shay Given are not only famous players but great players — although the position of a goalkeeper is different. But we need these two players.
"And the young players also need the older players, because it helps give them added security. I know this from when I was a young player myself. You need balance in the squad. But at the same time, we have Kevin Doyle and Shane Long. And the game against Wales is a good opportunity to evaluate our other options. So, yes, certainly I can start thinking about what we have after Keane but we also have to keep him in mind."
Birmingham have had a £6million bid accepted by Tottenham for Ireland striker Robbie Keane, according to reports this evening.
City have reached agreement with Spurs to pay an initial £4 million for the Dublin born Ireland international.
But this could rise by additional £2million via various add-ons and clauses in the deal.
Sources close to Birmingham insist any potential deal for Keane is still in its infancy.
Birmingham have been given permission to hold talks with Keane. But the former Liverpool player has yet to discuss personal terms with the midlands club.
City manager Alex McLeish is a known admirer of Keane, who has been told he can leave White Hart Lane after slipping down the pecking order.
McLeish has continually stressed the need for Birmingham to sign a quality striker.
He is aware a lack of goals has seen them become embroiled in a Barclays Premier League relegation battle this season. Midfielder Craig Gardner is their leading marksman with just five goals.
If Keane does move to St Andrew's he will join up with winger David Bentley, who has moved from Spurs on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Keane spent the second half of last season on loan at Celtic and has had only a bit part role at Spurs this season.
Robbie Keane has become a doubt for next week’s friendly game against Norway after Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp revealed that the Irish captain is struggling with an ankle injury.
Spurs are waiting on the results of a recent scan which will reveal the seriousness of the damage and It’s another set back for the Irish record goal scorer , given that he was guaranteed some much needed game time in the Dublin friendly clash.
Giovanni Trapattoni said that he was keen to use the Norway friendly to give Keane and goalkeeper Shay Given a good run out, especially considering they are currently out of their club first teams.
“I know he’s not fresh like two or three years ago, but for us now he’s still very important,” said the Irish boss. “It’s important that he plays against Norway. I think now he is not fit because he can only play 10 minutes here and there for Tottenham. But he’s 30, not 34 or 35.”
Keane has only started a couple of games with Spurs this season, and has been hotly tipped for a move away from White Heart Lane in the transfer window in January. Redknapp has acknowledged that the 30-year-old has been very frustrated since the arrival of Rafael van der Vaart pushed him further down the striker pecking order.
His lack of sharpness was evident in last month's Euro qualifiers with Russia and Slovakia, especially in the Slovakia game where he missed a penalty and missed two other decent opportunities in a 1-1 away draw.
Keane is clearly in need of a move away from Spurs and irrespective of his inclusion in the Norway friendly game next week, his priority has to be getting back playing club football on a weekly basis.
Kevin Doyle has hailed Ireland strike partner Robbie Keane as one of the greats of Irish football.
Doyle is hoping to be fit to partner Keane in the first ever international match at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday when the opposition is provided by star-studded Argentina. The Irish captain will earn his 100th cap in the game and Doyle says that playing alongside him has only been a pleasure.
"He's just been a joy to play with to be honest," the Wolves man was quoted as saying by the Irish Independent.
"He's on 100 caps, it's unbelievable. Someone was asking is he now going to be up there with the top players, the (Liam) Bradys, the (Paul) McGraths. I think there is no doubt that he is.
"He's the record goal-scorer by more than double what anyone else has got. He's played in World Cups, he's scored in World Cups, there is not much more to achieve at international level.
“He's only 30, so he has plenty of time to get plenty more caps. He's the captain. For strikers especially, it's great to see how he trains, he prepares. He's someone you can follow, try and follow. In training, not just in matches, he works so hard. It means as much to him to win a five-a-side as a match.
"Little things like that you can take from players who have played at the highest level, get records like he has. It makes you realise you can't just breeze through it as a young player. You realise what the better players do and try and copy that, to be at that level yourself.”
Keane, though, has his share of critics, with some feeling he does not take enough chances but Doyle says fault can hardly be found in 43 goals in 99 games, and adds that the former Liverpool man would have had even more had he been playing for one of the world’s biggest nations.
Doyle added: "If you're playing for a Holland or a Spain, it's like playing for a Chelsea or a Manchester United; you're going to get more chances.
"In the top countries in Europe, I would imagine he has as good a strike rate as anyone."
Ireland record goalscorer Robbie Keane has been told that he has every chance of playing a major role at Tottenham this season.
Keane was loaned out to Celtic during the Christmas transfer window after Harry Redknapp decided that he could get through the second half of the season without the Irish striker.
Redknapp has stated this summer that he would only consider letting Keane go out on loan again if the player was unhappy with his level of involvement at White Hart Lane.
Keane faces stiff competition for a place up front but it appears he has played his way back to the top of the pecking order after some impressive performances in pre-season.
The 30-year-old followed up his goal against New York Red Bulls by finding the target again in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon, and could now start Tottenham's Premier League opener at home to Manchester City on 14th August.
"His situation is that he is still a very, very good player," said Redknapp.
"He looked sharp and bright and he is still very much in the plans.
"He wants to start every game and if he keeps playing as he did today, he can do.
"It was a fantastic finish and he is a quality player, one of our better players.
"There is every chance he could start."
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is preparing a £7 million summer swoop for Celtic and Ireland winger Aiden McGeady, it has been claimed.
Reports today suggest the Spurs boss made an inquiry about McGeady's availability through a third party in the January transfer window and is set to follow that up with a bid at the end of the season.
Redknapp has always been a big admirer of the Ireland international winger and has had him watched several times.
And he plans to travel north this weekend to watch the player in action in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Rangers.
McGeady, 22, has had a fairly turbulent season at Celtic Park and was suspended for two weeks by Gordon Strachan following a dressing room bust up with his boss. The relationship between McGeady Strachan has always been strained and some have suggested that the Celtic boss simply dislikes the player and would be happy to see him leave.
Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni thinks Robbie Keane's transfer-window return to Tottenham could provide a big boost to his international form.
Keane secured a 12million pound move back to White Hart Lane on Monday, just six months after joining Liverpool in an initial 19million pound switch.
The former Wolves, Coventry, Leeds and Inter Milan striker failed to settle at Anfield, mostly due to Rafa Benitez's bizarre decision-making and squad selections.
But Trapattoni is hoping the 28-year-old's return to first-team action will mean he is sharper when he joins up for international duty.
"Robbie is a player who thrives on playing regularly," Trapattoni told the Ireland website in response to questions from the country's fans.
"Going to Spurs will give him regular games. That is good for Robbie and it is good for us."
Underlining Keane's importance to the Irish cause, Trapattoni bracketed him alongside some of the finest talents he has managed during his stellar coaching career.
"In my career, I have managed players of great quality like Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek at Juventus, Nuno Gomes at Benfica and Ramon Diaz at Inter to name just a few.
"To win, you need great champions. Robbie is one in this category.
"He is a natural captain and of great importance to the whole squad."
Keane is in line to make his second debut when Spurs travel to North London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
He will then join the Ireland camp ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Georgia in Dublin on Wednesday.
Goals from Kevin Doyle and Glenn Whelan meant that Trapattoni's men returned with a 2-1 victory when the sides met in Germany in September, but the Italian is expecting to face a sterner challenge in the return fixture.
"They will be strong opposition and are not the same team we played last year in Mainz at all.
"Hector Cuper had only just taken on the job when we met last September but since then, they have improved substantially.
"I saw the match they played against Romania in November and they were a very well-organised side."
A win for Ireland would take them level on points with group leaders and world champions Italy in European qualifying group eight.
Ireland striker Robbie Keane has vowed to win over the Tottenham Hotspur fans he upset by joining Liverpool in July after completing a swift return journey to North London yesterday.
After six frustrating months at Anfield, Keane became the third former player to be brought back to White Hart Lane by Harry Redknapp in the past month, with Tottenham paying £12 million to secure the striker’s return.
The deal for Keane, which had been a subject of speculation for weeks, always seemed likely to go through in regulation time. “It was a difficult decision to leave Tottenham in the summer,” Keane said. “It proved not to be the right move for me. I know some Spurs fans will feel I let them down by leaving, but I can assure them I shall be giving my all for this club.”
Keane — who has now commanded transfer fees in the region of £75 million — is ineligible for the Carling Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on March 1, having played in the competition for Liverpool this season.
“Keane will have a massive impact,” Redknapp, who had already secured the return of Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda, said. “He is a good player with great enthusiasm and wants to win. It rubs off on people and we need people like that. He is full of energy and has fantastic ability. We will need him.” The desire to sign Keane became more pressing because Defoe injured a foot on Friday and is to have an operation today that will keep him out for ten weeks.
Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, expressed his delight that Keane had chosen to return: "We never wanted Robbie to leave in the summer, we acknowledged the six years dedicated service he gave this club and reluctantly let him go," said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
"I am delighted that he has chosen to return to us."
"We can all recall the passion and fight he displayed during his previous seasons with us. I know he is determined to give us his full commitment."
