Gerry Cox

Which  of the following is true?
1) Robbie  Keane has joined Celtic because “they were his boyhood heroes and it is a dream move for him.”
2) Robbie Keane has joined Celtic because he isn’t the player he was, he’s a disruptive influence at Tottenham and Dermot Desmond needs to get the fans onside?
The answer, as usual, is a bit of both, but for the cynical among us, the latter is a sadder but truer reflection of what was the most eye-catching move on transfer deadline day.
There is no doubt the move to Celtic suits all parties. Desmond has delivered a a marquee name to Tony Mowbray and Bhoys fans, Keane will get regular first team football and renewed adoration, and Spurs get an expensive problem off their hands.
Because for all Harry Redknapp’s songs of praise for the Dubliner, Keane had become ‘an issue’ at White Hart Lane since his sensational return from Liverpool a year ago.
With Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as Redknapp’s first-choice attack this season, but Keane his captain and highest-earner, it was always going to be a difficult situation for a player playing some way below his high standards. The seeds of his decline were in his £20m move to Anfield 18 months ago.
Spurs felt betrayed, especially as Keane had recently signed a new contract and been made captain after helping the club win the Carling Cup. He was in the form of his life, having finally found the stability he needed after so many moves in his early years. As Glenn Hoddle said when he signed him from Leeds: “Robbie needs to spend a few years at one club.”
He did, he blossomed, and was a hugely popular figure on and off the field. But Liverpool changed all that. It was suggested Rafa Benitez did not really want him, and certainly Keane’s confidence and form dipped alarmingly. It was a relief all round when he returned to Spurs, but things had changed. His form never really returned, despite a four-goal blitz against Burnley in September. Lacking the mental and physical sharpness of old, his body language betrayed his unhappiness, but Redknapp tried to accommodate him, sometimes disastrously in midfield, or up front instead of Crouch. Rarely did it work, and doubts were voiced from fans and club insiders.
The last straw was probably his role in organising the ill-fated secret party in Dublin shortly before Christmas. Redknapp was furious and let it be known that he felt let down by his most senior player. From that point on, Keane was always likely to leave White Hart Lane, especially once Eidur Gudjohnsen was signed, but who would pay Spurs the £12m they spent a year ago and match his wages? With so little cash in the Premier League, few clubs wanted to do a permanent deal, but Desmond had long wanted to get Ireland’s captain to Celtic, so a loan was the obvious move.
So what happens next? Given a regular start and the lower quality of defending in the SPL, Keane should score hatfuls of goals and resurrect his reputation. At 29 he should be reaching his peak as a striker. Whether Celtic can afford a fee in the summer or someone else will offer Spurs the money they want is another question. But a lot can change between now and then, and nothing that happens at Spurs should be a surprise any more. One thing is certain: this move should be good for Robbie Keane, Celtic - and Tottenham Hotspur.