Decision Time For Robbie

Is the lure of the Champions League going to be enough to convince Robbie Keane to stay for a second season in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv?

Or have he and his backroom team done enough to secure an attractive post much closer to home and out of trouble-torn Israel?

Speculation over the Irish legend’s future continues to grow in the Middle East after he announced there would be end-of-season talks over his position.

Keane led Tel Aviv to the top-flight title by a stunning 11-point margin and won a domestic cup along the way as well as reaching the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.

Wolves supporters have extra interest in the outcome of negotiations as Mike Stowell – now back home in the West Country – is goalkeeper coach at a club who also have Rory Delap on board.

Keane has repeatedly been asked in recent months about his plans for 2024-25 but dismissed any such questions until the season finished in late May.

He has since promised to ‘sit down and have an open conversation’ with the Maccabi board and ownership, adding:  “I told you I didn’t want any distractions. I think that says a lot about me and how my mentality is. We’ll (now) have a discussion and then make a decision…..it’s fairly simple.”

When asked in a media conference whether he was likely to continue the Tel Aviv trend by quickly moving on, the 43-year-old said: “It can’t be that bad for your CV to win the double in your first season. That’s really it….nothing else.

“Whetever those coaches did, that’s the past…that’s their own journey. I’m on my journey now and I want to continue to be the best I can, wherever I am.”

Keane, who first made his name in senior football with his sensational entrance at Wolves in the late 1990s, played down the lure of the Champions League at Tel Aviv next season as a major factor, although he previously cited Maccabi’s place in Europe after last year’s third-place finish as significant in convincing him to take this bold step. 

There was no easing-up after the club secured the title. Four successive closing victories have sent them into the close season on a high and Keane was delighted with the big finish.

“It’s important to have high standards and the right mentality…that’s why it’s nice to finish off,” he said. “The players could easily have been thinking they were already on holiday, which I don’t like. If you want to be a winner and champion, you have to have a mindset that’s different to everybody else. 

“I always knew we could win the league. It’s just a question of getting that belief over to the players. Always believe you can win.”

Keane’s mid-teens son, Robbie Jnr, is in the system at Shamrock Rovers.