Asteras Tripolis Close In On Recent Title Winner In Head Coach Hunt

Asteras Tripolis are in advanced talks to appoint Robbie Keane as their new manager, according to Football Insider.

The Greek Super League side, currently sitting fifth in the table after three matches, are looking to replace their current head coach, Milan Rastavac. Keane, who is in Greece for discussions, is being considered as the man to take the team forward.

The Arkádes have had a mixed start to their season, with one win, one draw, and one loss from their opening fixtures, leaving them in fifth on the early table. The aim is to build on this and they see Keane as a potential catalyst for their ambitions. Although the 44-year-old’s managerial experience is limited, his recent success with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he led the team to a league title in his sole season, has made him a strong candidate for the job.

Keane retired from playing in 2018 and has since accumulated significant coaching experience. He has held roles as assistant manager with the Republic of Ireland national team, Middlesbrough, and most recently, was part of Sam Allardyce’s staff at Leeds United during their Premier League campaign.

He had an illustrious playing career that saw him turn out for Inter Milan, Liverpool, Celtic and Spurs among others, scoring 325 goals in 737 senior outings. He represented Ireland 146, bagging 68 goals in the process. That experience across Europe, coupled with his coaching career, make him a perfect candidate for the Asteras Tripolis role, even if it isn’t technically available yet.

Known as The Arcadians in English, Asteras Tripolis (the Star of Tripoli) play their home matches at the 7,442-capacity Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium. Although they have not won the Greek Super League title, Asteras Tripolis has achieved notable success, including reaching the Greek Cup final in 2013 and regularly qualifying for European competitions, where they have represented Greece in the UEFA Europa League.

Site Opinion

What a player Robbie Keane was. It’s important to take a moment to remember that, as he’s often not given enough credit for the goals he scored. He was a natural, and he had to deal with a move to Italy as a teenager, but he endured and became one of the greatest Irish strikers of all time, no doubt.

Is he a top coach? His spell in Israel suggests he has the qualities needed to perform in the dugout, and while Asteras Tripolis are not in a huge rut right now, they still want to kick on. A triumph in Greece, as well as Israel, might put the 44-year-old on the radar of some of Europe’s bigger clubs.

It’s a great place to go and test himself a little further. There’s work to be done at the Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium, but if he made European qualification, and then got a chance to test himself further against clubs on the continent, we might start noticing Keane the manager, not just Keane the player.


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