Robbie Keane Contender for Preston North End 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.

Months after holding talks over a sensational return to Celtic, the former Parkhead favourite has reportedly emerged as a contender for the vacant Preston North End job, with journalist Alan Nixon claiming the 46-year-old is firmly in the frame at Deepdale following Paul Heckingbottom’s departure.

From Parkhead Possibility to Deepdale Discussion

Keane spent much of the summer heavily linked with the Celtic post, only to watch the club hand the role on a permanent basis to Martin O’Neill.

The Irishman had been in discussions about succeeding O’Neill after his interim spell in charge, a scenario that would have marked a striking twist in Celtic’s recent managerial saga. The move never materialised. The door closed, quietly, without public complaint from Keane and without any detailed explanation from the club.

Now another one appears to be opening.

Preston, searching for a new direction after parting ways with Heckingbottom, are weighing up options, and Keane’s name has pushed its way onto the shortlist. The link is not random. It rarely is in football.

Old Ties, New Opportunity

Keane’s candidacy at Deepdale comes with a familiar figure in the background: Peter Ridsdale.

The Preston chairman knows Keane from their time together at Leeds United, when the striker’s career was still accelerating and Ridsdale was at the heart of Elland Road’s high‑stakes era. Those old connections matter when clubs move quickly and quietly for managers.

Ridsdale’s network also stretches deep into Celtic’s current set‑up. Martin O’Neill has known him for more than two decades and even came close to working under him long before his current Parkhead role. Back in 2003, with his Celtic future uncertain, O’Neill signed a “statement of intent” over a potential move to Leeds, such was Ridsdale’s pull at the time. The switch never happened, but the relationship endured.

That bond remains strong enough that O’Neill, now Celtic manager, visited Deepdale earlier this year alongside Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham. The visit underlined how closely these worlds intersect. If Keane walks into the Preston job, he will be stepping into a club where his former team-mate’s current boss already has a well‑worn path to the boardroom.

Keane’s Next Step

For Keane, Preston would represent something significant: a first crack at managing in the English Championship.

His most recent job ended at Ferencvaros, where he left at the end of last season after missing out on the Hungarian title to ETO FC Gyori. That defeat ended Ferencvaros’ seven-year run as champions, a jolt that prompted change in Budapest. Keane went out; Balazs Borbely, the coach who had guided Gyori to the title, came in and has since taken charge of Ferencvaros.

Since then, Keane has stayed largely silent in public about both his exit from Hungary and his Celtic talks. No grand explanations. No complaints. Just a sense that he has been waiting for the right project.

The Celtic links made sense. He had already worn the shirt, scored the goals, and built a relationship with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond. A return as manager would have carried an emotional charge as well as a footballing logic. O’Neill’s appointment closed that chapter, at least for now.

So the focus shifts to Preston. A historic club with ambition, a chairman who knows him, a league that tests managers brutally. For Keane, it would be a step into one of the most unforgiving divisions in Europe.

The question now is simple: will Deepdale be the stage where he finally proves himself as a Championship manager, or just another near miss on a coaching journey still waiting for its defining job?