£15m deal a bar to potential Robbie Keane Wolves move

Friday 20th January 2012, 11:00AM GMT.

Aston Villa loan signing Robbie Keane
Aston Villa loan signing Robbie Keane

EXCLUSIVE – by Tim Nash: Robbie Keane was barred from any potential move to Wolves by a spectacular £15m deal between Tottenham and West Ham, it emerged today.

The Irish star prepares to make his latest emotional Molineux homecoming tomorrow, but in an Aston Villa shirt after his six-week loan from LA Galaxy.

Many Wolves fans have always wanted a return for their one-time golden boy, and the club’s most coveted academy graduate was open to the prospect of returning to the team where he started his glittering career in 1997.

But any chances of that happening last January were scuppered after West Ham agreed to the staggering deal which would have been triggered had they stayed up last season.

The Hammers paid a £1m loan fee to Spurs to take the 31-year-old for the rest of the campaign.

But the former Coventry, Inter Milan, Leeds, Liverpool and Celtic striker was also promised a £5m permanent move and a three-year contract to match his £60,000-a-week-plus wages at Spurs, if West Ham had won their survival battle.

West Ham’s offer for the Ireland captain would have mounted up to a mind-boggling £15m, putting anything Wolves would have been able to put on the table firmly in the shade.

Wolves had enquired about taking Keane on loan 12 months before. Such was the scale of the Hammers’ offer, however, that Spurs wouldn’t deal with any other club. And former Wolves keeper Matt Murray believes there was never any chance that his close friend would come back.

“There have been a few times when he’s been linked to come back, but it’s never materialised,” said Murray.

“This time last year, Tottenham were only listening to West Ham so he had no choice to make. A few fans might think he’s turned his back on Wolves, but he has ultimate respect for Mick McCarthy – Mick gave him his chance at international level. But I don’t think there has ever been a concrete bid where he has had that choice to make.”


  1. 1
    MrAussieWolf

    MoneyMoneyMoney…

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  2. 2
    johnwolf

    I like Keano, BUT – tomorrow he is in a vile shirt and therefore the enemy, I hope our lot give him the reception that they give any opposition player and not cheer if he scores -me I will salute him – the two fingered version of course, after the match if I saw him I would buy him a pint.

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  3. 3
    RichWolf64

    Well reading the above… that was a £5 million deal then, not £15 million.

    I don’t know transfer fees included salaries.In fact I’m pretty sure they don’t!

    Anyway, we’ve just been priced out of a £2.5 million move for a defender so I would suggest we should be looking in League 1 or 2 for our next player of quality rather than anywhere else.

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  4. 4
    Wolfamaniac

    Clubs around us are signing quality players, and we have signed a 19-year-old youngster and a player from the SPL!!

    This season we will get relegated, unless we sign two or three quality players, including a striker.

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  5. 5
    chris

    This business has gone mad, I hope west aaaammmm go bust

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  6. 6
    Scott Mathews

    Typical ‘johnwolf’!
    Backs McCarthy up to the hilt even when it is plainly obvious to many his time at the club is at an end but when a former idol of Wolves fans returns in another clubs colours, he is prepared to give him a 2 fingered salute – What a supporter!!!
    Now we really know what kind of a ‘supporter’ you are ‘johnwolf’- a prat!
    PS: where did you get that name from, are you really a toilet in disguise?

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  7. 7
    Robert Perry

    Mad it may well be,BUT if you want to compete in this division(by that I mean midtable)you have to spend this sort of money.What is the point of trying to get promoted ,if all you want to do is finish one place above the relegation zone ,and get knocked out in the first round of the cups each year?

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  8. 8
    Edwina

    All the spin coming out of Molineux is making me dizzy! Why oh why r the media falling hook line and sinker for it? Dig dig dig and expose the real story, not serve up this WWFC press office platitude;

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  9. 9
    crowfish

    More reason to fall out of love with the game we love so much!

    Stupid deals set-up that clubs cant afford prices out the honest clubs that operate in correct manner and beyond anything else …. operate within there means!

    This rule can’t come quick enough for me but sadly ….. football is being spoiled by £££ its way out of control!

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  10. 10
    tamworth wolves

    Emotional return? dont make me laugh, he could of signed the previous january but chose to go to that poxy league north of the border. All he cares about is money, he would of signed for blues if they hadnt pulled the plug, now hes at villa!! Hero to zero!!

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  11. 11
    Wolves4life

    Can’t really blame Spurs – sounds like they couldn’t turn a higher offer. Frustrating for us we couldn’t match it!

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  12. 12
    pablowolf

    Please respect Keane tomorrow….that does not mean we have to cheer him if he scores…just please dont boo him….He is a finest recuit of recent times and speaks very highly of our football club and is a shining example to future youngsters who may choose wolves over bigger clubs…..I would feel so ashamed of the fans mis treated him. If we had a decent manager at the time who could get us promoted he may have been a wolves player forever!!!!

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  13. 13
    BazL

    Basically Kean doesn’t want to help the club who got him going, prefers, as with going to West Ham last year, to have us struggling and go down instead.
    Had hoped that he would make the difference for Wolves, when he is clearly needed.
    Just Greedy, no time for him now.

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  14. 14
    derby wolves

    this not an emotionl return,because hes playing for the vile,and know dout he would love to score,unless we win tomorrow he will have a few enemys,so come on me babbies,just shut him out.

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  15. 15
    Alex Rae's Butler

    How can this be anything but vindication regarding Wolves decision not to get involved with Keane last year . He was poor at West Ham, and on that sort of deal / fee?

    Just like all those fans that said we should have signed Benni McCatrhy. West Ham signed him too – he was overweight and did not perform, let alone score and played few games for a transer fee of £2m. West Ham are now a Championship club.

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  16. 16
    mad Wolf

    Just another greedy journeyman,never loyal and only thinking about his wallet.Money has destroyed this game.
    Or Sky TV has..
    It’s not that long ago,when the old first division leading scorer drove an Escort 1300E. Times have changed maybe,but not for the better.

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  17. 17
    rich5wolves

    Hasnt he just come from the US this season to play on loan for Villa? We missed out on that then???

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  18. 18
    SteveB

    OK, that explains last January… But what are the reasons THIS January? Are we not interested in him, is he not interested in us? We can’t rely on anyone other than Fletcher to score us goals, as Doyle and SEB made very clear on Wednesday – we need another striker!!

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  19. 19
    chris

    9. Emotional return? dont make me laugh, he could of signed the previous january but chose to go to that poxy league north of the border. All he cares about is money, he would of signed for blues if they hadnt pulled the plug, now hes at villa!! Hero to zero!!

    THIS! ^^

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  20. 20
    Slough Wolf

    Once a player’s gone, he’s gone. Keano was never coming back. Now he’s just another mercenary whose best days are behind him. LA Galaxy are about as good as Forest Green Rovers.

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  21. 21
    McCarthy's 11

    He is an opposition player tomorrow, END OF. In my oppinion he has not shown any more loyalty to this club than any other Joe Bloggs who have been through our academy. Over-priced at those figures. Money talks and Keane listens very well to it.

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  22. 22
    Cheshire Old Gold

    Going to the match tomorrow – struggling to get excited after wednesday’s spectacle. Just a bit of goal threat would be nice……and three points obviously.

    Anyone need a lift from Stockport area?

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  23. 23
    darlowolf

    Interesting comments about signing ‘big’ players and why we need to do so. I agree to an extent but the fact West Ham paid silly money for Mr Keane and a number of ‘proven Premier League players’ this time last year and still finished bottom of the pile in May seems to have escaped unnoticed by some of the people commenting. It is a shame though that Keano is appearing in the shirt of our brummie neighbours. Not going to be a great sight.

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  24. 24
    Ye Olde South Bank

    We all have happy memories of that teenage wonder kid because he was so very gifted, quick as a whippet, sharp as a razor and a ‘home-made’ product.

    That was then, though…and this is now. Anyone crying because Robbie never returned should dry those tears and get over it. Players come and go. That’s life. Move on.

    Of course, he’ll almost certainly score against us. It’s written in the stars (well, almost). But the bottom line is always the same: there’s no sentiment in football, and it cuts both ways. I’d rather look to the future in the hope we unearth another diamond. Keano’s time has come and gone and that’s that.

    Besides, it’s Bully who forever remains ‘King’. Well, him and the immortal ‘King John’ Richards, that is to say!

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  25. 25
    tamworth wolves

    19 chris, yes i have read the article, thats why i said the PREVIOUS january, when he chose celtic over us in our first prem season, when moxey actually revealed we tried to sign him, it was the season after he went to west ham so read things properly before posting sarcy remarks!!

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  26. 26
    only one keano

    thats if he makes the villa team, he may be sub.

    wwfc 2 villa 1, frimpong,kightly.

    utw

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  27. 27
    20pencetogetin

    Robbie Keane is a has been. Started at Wolves, great youngster, he moved on, so should we. I’m more alarmed that we are about to sell another player who hasn’t been given a fair chance through MM selection policy. Sam Volkes would be a far better bet to sit on our bench than SEB and Doyle on his current form. He has a better touch than SEB and given a run in the side may have shown his talent.
    How many players do we let go who haven’t had a chance go on to prove our selection policy is rubbish. Someone please list.
    Volkes goes, we get pingpong on loan, no issues with that but if Eggert Jonsson is a PL player I’ll clean his boots every week.
    We have little ambition. Look at our recent signings.

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  28. 28
    John De Wolf

    Why didn’t we sign him on a 2 month loan? Doyle and Ebanks are off form. If he’d have helped us win 5 games or so it may have saved our season.

    Also, think of the positive impact it would have had for the fans. Ticket sales and shirt sales would have soared. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and give the club an injection and hope to show we have ambition and want to attract big names.

    If we’d have matched his wages at Villa he would have come. It would have been a gamble worth taking.

    Defeat tomorrow and it’s desperate times. I still think Mick isn’t the right man to take us forward, West Brom, S’land and QPR have made brave moves and it’ll pay off for them. We’re stuck with a championship manager at best. You only have to look at how well Norwich and Swansea have done they play to see Mick can’t coach at this level and is tactically inept.

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  29. 29
    Wolfmanmac

    Every tranfer window is the same old same old from Wolves. It’s game of smoke and mirrors from the` 3 M’s all over again, there is no intention to sign anyone of any significance, just a series of press releases about who we are “looking at” or have made an “enquiry” about. There is no ambition at the club only a desire to balance the books and as Mr. Morgan is in the building game, suprise suprise the building of the stadium. God is not a Wolves fan and it will take more than divine intervention this time to stop the drop.

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  30. 30
    Lone wolf

    22, Chesire old gold, not tomorrow pal, travelling down very early doors.
    Might take up your kind offer in the future and its reciprocal.
    Im excited about 2mrw. Dont think we could ever play that bad again.
    I smell 3 points and im afraid Keene will, if he plays, only get a very light round of applause off me for about 3 seconds.
    Nice to meet you.
    UTW.

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  31. 31
    lane

    Think Keane missed a few sitters at the end of last season for West Ham..sure that helped us…
    Either way, hes well well well passed his best and certainly not worth the money these overpaid bunch of unspeakables get nowadays.

    Frimpongs “twittering” photo of the £50 notes that Jack Wiltshire owed him just about sums up todays charlies…LOL ?? yeah whatever.

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  32. 32
    bobbyd

    robbie keane is nothing but a money grabber! he could have come back to us on a few occasions but choses to go after the money time and time again! hope we win tomorrow cause god we need to! keane will probably notch though cause its normally how these things happen!

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  33. 33
    MoxeysDustyWallett

    Who cares about him. He is history. Just another player now that needs to be stopped FWAW

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  34. 34
    Staffs Wolf

    Wouldn’t want him anyway, at any price, he’s past his prime! Get Maynard in and stop our usual penny pinching or the Championship looms!

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  35. 35
    wanderer in eire

    In recent times only one player as truly loved this club “BULLY”.Bully sacrifised his career for the “WOLVES” he would have been a hero at any other club in England at the time!He was born scoring goals!He could have earned hugh “salaries” YET remained loyal to “WOLVES”.
    Keano was good but KEANO is definetly “GREEDY” any player who goes to “AMERICA”"JAPAN”"CHINA” is greedy.Football their is “NETBALL” here.

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  36. 36
    SolentNZwolves

    @ Ye Olde South Bank. Agreed, exactly so, my sentiments entirely. (Of course, we are both assuming that if Keano does score against us, we will still win the game by the odd goal.) UTW.

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  37. 37
    BEOWULF

    Johnwolf, what do you do for a living? Wish I could surf the net at 11.35am.

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  38. 38
    Hednesford Wolf

    Keane’s a has been. Go back to the Hollywood league with your fat wallet. The vile can have him, he’s well past it proved that last season for the cockneys

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  39. 39
    Lone Throstle

    Keane does not seem to be past his prime, and he certainly has done something for the Wolves. He has put you in the relegation zone. Maybe he will get rid of Mick for you, with this latest defeat (I doubt it, and don’t want it).
    Good weekend. Albion win, Wolves lose. Only problem was that Villa had to win.
    Cheer up Wulfies, I still think you are better than Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn. You just need a better scouting and recruitment system, and you will be a Prem team for life.
    Au Revoir.

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  40. 40
    J Basi

    Well done Keano – this win is dedicated to Hednesford Wolf – what a mug! Bet you wanna sack Mick now don’t ya?

    Give our regards to the Blose wolves fans x

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