With speculation rife over manager Avram Grant’s job security, inadequate performances leading to lacklustre results and a spot in the relegation zone being almost omnipresent; it is fair to say that West Ham have had a grim season. Since Grant waved what appeared to be a farewell to the Hammers crowd following the 3-0 loss to Arsenal however, Premier League results have turned a corner. The 2-2 draw away at Everton and a 3-1 victory on the road at Blackpool in midweek suggested that the Hammers are on the up.
Recent signings have also provided a boost and the deal that brought Robbie Keane from London rivals Tottenham until the end of the season looks set to be the most significant.
Since Rafael Van der Vaart’s arrival at Spurs, Harry Redknapp has often played just one striker and with Keane behind Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko in the hierarchy, the Irishman found his opportunities limited, mustering just a handful of appearances this season.
The Ireland captain certainly feels he still has what it takes to compete in the Premier League though:
“I feel I have plenty left to offer at the highest level for at least the next four or five years.”
He lived up to his word and failed to disappoint on his debut for the Hammers by grabbing a goal a Blackpool. Under Grant, Keane looks assured of starts and has a hunger that could well prove vital to West Ham’s survival chances. He could also us Fantasy Managers some unlikely potential for the run-in.
The Statistics
After bursting onto the scene with Wolves as a teenager, where after 3 seasons he scored 29 goals in 87 appearances, he was snapped up by Coventry and once again impressed. After a few seasons of being passed around between Inter Milan and Leeds United, it was his fifth club Tottenham where Keane finally settled.
Moving to Spurs from Leeds for £7 million saw Keane find a home and some consistency, staying at White Hart Lane for six years; playing 197 Premier League games and scoring 80 goals in the process. It was the 2007/2008 season where he was most prolific in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) terms; Keane scored 162 points which included 15 goals, 7 assists and 22 bonus points.
The last two seasons have seen Keane lose some of his Premier League consistency. This could be blamed on his disastrous £22.3 million move to Liverpool, where he never really settled. Life at Anfield was short lived and, after just 19 appearances and 5 goals, he returned to Spurs. Since then he has fallen behind other strikers and form has never really come his way. A loan move to Celtic was slightly more fruitful though, that saw him find the back of the net on 16 occasions in 19 appearances.
The transfer fees Robbie Keane has amassed throughout his career add up to around £75 million.
The Prospects
Due to Keane’s limited chances over the past year or so, his FPL transfer value has plunged dramatically from 8.5 last season to a current price of 4.8. Although it feels like he’s been around for ever, Keane is only 30-years-old and if he captures the form he is capable of then the Irishman could potentially be a steal.
With his reported £70,000 a week wages, it is very likely that Keane will be one of the first names on the West Ham teamsheet and, by popping up with a goal on his debut, he has already demonstrated his worth. His price and potential will certainly appeal to those who play a 3-5-2 and require a cheap bench option up front.
Keane’s arrival as well as the as yet untested attacking recruit Demba Ba, seem to have pushed Carlton Cole way down the Upton Park ladder. In an interview, post-Blackpool victory, Grant praised his new look team and effectively cemented their starting roles in the coming weeks:
“They are intelligent players and it is easier to play the football that we like with these sort of players, They play the football that we like, because they like to pass the ball and play intelligently, so it was easy for them to come in and help us to get the victory. They had a good partnership [Piquionne and Keane]. You have to remember that behind them that Scotty [Parker] and Mark [Noble] did a good job too. When everybody is doing well and playing our football, we have good team.”
The Hammers have a mixed bag of fixtures on the horizon (BIR, wba, LIV, STK, tot, MUN) with some tricky clashes against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United. But with new found momentum behind them and the need to push out of the lowly depths of the relegation zone, Keane and West Ham could well earn results and offer decent returns.
