Keane will take over at the Israeli club.
Robbie Keane has been appointed as the new head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Republic of Ireland legend has taken over at the Israeli club on a two-year deal, which was announced on Monday morning. He has replaced Aitor Karanka, the former Middlesbrough manager.
Since retiring, Keane has worked as a pundit and a coach. He was Jonathan Woodgate’s assistant coach at Middlesbrough during the 2019/20 season and a coach under Mick McCarthy with the Republic of Ireland.
Keane, 42, ended last season with a brief stint on Sam Allardyce’s coaching staff with Leeds United as the club were relegated. This is his first head coach role.
Maccabi Tel Aviv appoint Robbie Keane as their new head coach.
“I am delighted to take on this challenge at Maccabi,” Keane told the club’s website.
“My team and I look forward to beginning work and we have confidence in our ability to do what is necessary to prepare the team for the coming season.”
Maccabi owner Mitch Goldhar praised Keane upon announcing the appointment, saying:
“Robbie brings the mentality, character, energy and focus of a winner, traits he exhibited everywhere he played. These characteristics now combined with ambitions to succeed as a coach are aligned with our objectives at Maccabi.”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Robbie Keane is the new Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach in the Israeli Premier League. 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/hMpPYcDnGZ
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 26, 2023
Maccabi Tel Aviv finished third out of 14 teams in the Israeli Premier League last season, which qualified them for the Europa Conference League qualification stage.
The club play at the Bloomfield Stadium, which holds almost 30,000 spectators.
Macabbi have won the Israeli league title 23 times, with their last victory coming in 2020.
WELCOME COACH ✍🏼https://t.co/7tSMupLWvj pic.twitter.com/iN6b6hFIGj
— Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (@MaccabiTLVFC) June 26, 2023
Keane is Ireland’s record goalscorer and appearance holder, with 68 goals and 146 caps.
He played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Inter Milan, Leeds, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Celtic, West Ham, LA Galaxy and Aston Villa in an illustrious career which saw him net 325 goals in 737 appearances.
The Dubliner ended his career in 2018 after a brief stint with ATK in India.
Read next: Summer transfer window 2023: Follow the latest updates live in our hub.
Related links.
- Champions League final: Man City vs Inter Milan teams and player ratings as treble secured
- House of Football: Ireland’s glimmer of hope, selfies with Roy and the art of free-kicks.
- Scott Carson delivers emphatic comeback to fan after second Champions League victory
- Man United line-up transfers for two strikers as alternatives to Harry Kane
- “Disgrace to the club” – Norman Whiteside story on nightclub “raid” sums up Alex Ferguson’s early years at Man United
