Robbie Keane in Contention for Preston Job After Celtic Talks
Robbie Keane’s route back into management may be taking a sharp turn down the M6 rather than back to Glasgow.
Just months after holding talks over a return to Celtic, the former Parkhead favourite has emerged as a contender for the vacant Preston North End job, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting that the 46-year-old is firmly in the conversation at Deepdale following Paul Heckingbottom’s departure.
Only earlier this summer, Keane looked close to a very different kind of reunion. He was heavily linked with the Celtic post before Martin O’Neill was ultimately appointed on a permanent basis. The Irishman had been in discussions about succeeding O’Neill after the veteran manager’s interim spell, but the proposed move stalled and never came to life.
Now, as Celtic settle under O’Neill, Keane’s next chapter may open in the English Championship instead.
Old ties, new opportunity
Preston’s interest is not emerging in a vacuum. Keane already shares a significant connection with North End chairman Peter Ridsdale from their days together at Leeds United. That relationship, forged in the pressure cooker of the Premier League, now forms part of the backdrop as Preston weigh up their options.
O’Neill, too, knows Ridsdale well. The Celtic manager visited Deepdale earlier this year alongside coach Mark Fotheringham, a reminder of how small and tightly wound the upper reaches of British football can be. Their relationship stretches back more than two decades, to 2003, when Ridsdale offered O’Neill the Leeds job.
Back then, O’Neill went as far as signing a “statement of intent” over a potential move to Elland Road, at a time when he was unsure whether Celtic would hand him a new contract. It never materialised into a full switch, but it underlines how long Ridsdale has been circling around big decisions and big personalities.
Now Keane finds himself at the intersection of those same networks.
Keane’s managerial reset
Keane has been out of work since leaving Ferencvaros at the end of last season, a bruising conclusion to his spell in Hungary. His side missed out on the title to ETO FC Gyori, ending Ferencvaros’ seven-year run as champions and triggering change in Budapest.
He was replaced by Balazs Borbely, the coach who had just led Gyori to the championship and has since taken charge of Ferencvaros. Keane, by contrast, has been waiting for the right opening, his next step carrying real weight if he wants to build a long-term managerial career.
The links back to Celtic earlier in the summer were no surprise. Keane’s previous spell as a player at Parkhead, combined with his strong relationship with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond, made him an obvious name once the managerial situation grew uncertain.
Those talks, though, stayed behind closed doors. Since O’Neill was handed the job, Keane has not publicly discussed the discussions or how close he came to returning to Glasgow in a different role.
A first crack at the Championship?
Preston could now offer something Celtic could not: a first opportunity to manage in the English Championship.
For a coach still defining his identity on the touchline, that prospect carries a different kind of appeal. The schedule is relentless, the margins thin, the scrutiny unforgiving. It is also a stage where reputations can be rebuilt quickly and careers can accelerate.
Keane knows English football, knows the culture, knows the grind. What he has not yet had is the chance to shape a Championship club in his own image from the dugout.
If Preston decide he is their man, Deepdale might be where the former striker finally finds out what kind of manager he really wants to be.
