Robbie Keane Emerges as Contender for Preston North End Manager Role
Robbie Keane is back in the managerial conversation – and this time his name is circling around 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 was being lined up for a very different role. He held talks over a return to Celtic, where he was strongly linked with the manager’s position before Martin O’Neill was confirmed on a permanent basis. Keane had been part of discussions about potentially succeeding O’Neill after the Irishman’s interim spell in charge, but that move never came to life.
Now the door in England may be opening instead.
Keane’s name carries weight at Preston for more than just his playing reputation. He already has a connection with North End chairman Peter Ridsdale from their time together at Leeds United, a relationship that could prove significant as the club weighs up its options.
Ridsdale’s long-standing links with Celtic’s current boss also feed into the story. O’Neill knows the Preston chairman well and visited Deepdale earlier this year alongside Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham. Their relationship goes back over 20 years: in 2003, Ridsdale offered O’Neill the Leeds job, with the current Celtic manager even signing a “statement of intent” over a possible move to Elland Road while uncertainty lingered over his Parkhead future.
Keane, meanwhile, has been out of work since the end of last season. His spell at Ferencvaros came to a bruising close when the Budapest club missed out on the Hungarian title to ETO FC Gyori, a result that snapped Ferencvaros’ seven-year grip on the championship. He left the club after that disappointment and was replaced by Balazs Borbely, the coach who had just led Gyori to the title and has since taken charge of Ferencvaros.
The recent links with Celtic made sense. Keane is a former fan favourite at Parkhead and maintains a strong relationship with the club’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond. Despite that, he has kept his counsel since O’Neill was handed the job, choosing not to speak publicly about the talks that took place.
Preston, though, could now offer something different – and significant. A move to Deepdale would hand Keane his first opportunity to manage in the English Championship, a stage many expected him to reach sooner or later. The question now is whether North End decide this is the moment to give him that chance.
