As Leeds United attempt to make a long-awaited return to the Premier League this season, the Elland Road outfit has plans to make most of the January transfer window opportunity, and former club striker Robbie Keane is reportedly being targeted for a re-signing.
The 36-year-old is currently unattached after leaving Major League Soccer side L.A Galaxy, and he is being targeted by the likes of Sunderland, Brighton and Preston North End as he eyes a return to English football before calling it quit with his long professional football career.
Keane first lined up for Leeds back in the 2000-01 season during a loan from Inter Milan. He fired in 9 Premier League goals in 14 starts for the Whites at the end of that Premier League campaign, and he was permanently signed the following season. But he soon left for White Hart Lane at the beginning of the 2002-03 season as the club sought to settle its debts by selling some players.
At the moment, Leeds are comfortably in the playoffs zone having won 15 and drawn 3 of 27 Championship games this season. In Chris Woods, they have one of the most lethargic strikers in the division, with only Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle scoring more than his 16 goals at the moment.
Those goals have come in only 23 league starts, and there is no denying that the New Zealand striker can lead the club to the Premier League with his strikes. But even at that, there is a need to consider a backup striker, and it is why Keane is being targeted.
However, the veteran striker can’t successfully pull a Zlatan Ibrahimovic by proving to be a hit in the English league once again. The MLS is widely regarded as a retirement league, and while his 30 strikes in his last 41 appearances over the course of the last 2 years are hugely impressive, replicating such form would be almost impossible for a man 6 months away from clocking 37.
Doukara and Antonsson are probably not the best backup strikers for Leeds to rely on for the remainder of the crucial campaign, but so also is the ageing Keane who is most likely to be unable to deal with the pace and physicality of the Championship after spending almost half of the last decade in the North American league.
Signing him for free definitely is tempting, but Leeds must rather endeavour to spend on another capable striker if they do see a need for one than getting Keane. This doesn’t look like a deal that would end up being a good one at the end of the day, and it’s a gamble that is as risky as they come.
A promotion-chasing club will do better to put their hopes in a striking signing who is in perfect form and in his prime in order to be able to withstand the competition and job at hand. Keane is a legend without a doubt and would go down as one of the striking greats of his generation, but he doesn’t seem a perfect fit for the mission.