SOCCER:ROBBIE KEANE was last night widely reported to be considering a move to LA Galaxy after having apparently become frustrated at the lack of desirable options available to him in the Premier League.
The Irish captain, who said earlier this week that he expects to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the current window, had been seen as a target for Leicester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson in recent days but the Dubliner was adamant when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday that he would not drop into the Championship.
West Brom and Blackburn Rovers were among the Premier League clubs rumoured to be interested in the striker but last night reports circulated that Galaxy were in talks with Spurs about the player, with some suggesting that the 31-year-old was on a flight to the United States to discuss a move worth €5.6 million over two years and others claiming that the deal was actually done.
On the face of it, such a deal would seem unlikely given that the MLS season is well advanced and Galaxy already have the maximum three “designated players” permitted under thee league’s rules. Clubs are allowed count only a small portion of the wages of such players for the purposes of the salary cap imposed on all teams.
Galaxy’s three are David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Juan Pablo Angel, with the latter seen as by far the most likely to be moved on in the event that space was to be made for the Irishman.
Despite the apparent implausibility of the move – Keane also suggested previously that he would be more likely to consider a move to continental Europe than to the US after previously being linked with an MLS outfit – Fox Sports last night reported that Galaxy sources had confirmed that talks between the various parties were in progress with a view to striking a deal.
Such a move could prove problematic for Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, with some other US-based European players finding it difficult to maintain their fitness for all international matches because of the different league seasons.
Keane would, on the other hand, be expected to play regularly in the event that the club was prepared to invest so heavily in bringing him over from London in the first place.
The Irishman has scored 123 goals is just over 300 games for Tottenham during two spells which extend back over nearly a decade.
Since returning to White Hart Lane in 2009 he has become completely marginalised and was twice been sent out on loan, with the player enjoying a successful spell at Celtic and a much less memorable one at West Ham towards the end of last season.
His relationship with manager Harry Redknapp is rumoured to have become extremely strained prior to his departure for Upton Park and on Tuesday he accepted that he needed to move on, observing: “When your time is up, it’s up.” He didn’t rule out a move abroad but seemed to hint that he would most likely move to another Premier League outfit.
