Robbie Keane Emerges as Contender for Preston North End Job
Robbie Keane is back in the managerial frame – and this time the spotlight has swung to Deepdale.
The former Celtic striker has emerged as a contender for the vacant Preston North End job, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting that the 46-year-old is under serious consideration following Paul Heckingbottom’s departure.
Only a few months ago, Keane’s name was being loudly linked with a return to Parkhead. He held talks over the Celtic post earlier in the summer, during the period when Martin O’Neill was operating on an interim basis and the club weighed up its long-term options. Keane was discussed as a possible successor once O’Neill’s temporary spell ended, but the move never came to life and O’Neill was eventually appointed on a permanent deal.
Now Keane’s route back into the dugout may run through Lancashire rather than Glasgow.
His candidacy at Preston is no coincidence. He already has a long-standing connection with North End chairman Peter Ridsdale from their days together at Leeds United, when Keane was a young forward and Ridsdale was running the club. That relationship could carry weight as Preston assess their next step after parting company with Heckingbottom.
O’Neill, too, knows Ridsdale well. The pair go back more than 20 years, to the point where Ridsdale offered O’Neill the Leeds job in 2003. At that stage, O’Neill was unsure if Celtic would hand him a new contract, and he even signed a “statement of intent” over a potential move to Elland Road. The switch never happened, but the link endured. Earlier this year, O’Neill visited Deepdale with Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham, underlining just how deep those ties still run.
Keane, meanwhile, has been out of work since the end of last season. His spell in Hungary with Ferencvaros ended after his side missed out on the title to ETO FC Gyori, a result that snapped Ferencvaros’ seven-year grip on the championship. The Budapest club moved quickly, replacing Keane with Balazs Borbely, the coach who had just led Gyori to that crown and has since taken charge of Ferencvaros.
The Irishman’s recent links with Celtic surprised no one. He enjoyed a popular stint as a player at Parkhead and maintains a strong relationship with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond. Those connections helped put his name firmly in the frame when Celtic were weighing up their options in the summer.
Keane has not spoken publicly about those talks since O’Neill was confirmed in the role, keeping his counsel while the dust settled in Glasgow. Preston, though, could now hand him something he has never had: a first crack at management in the English Championship.
For a man who has spent his career chasing big stages, that prospect alone will command attention.
