Leeds United have joined West Ham and Southampton in the race to sign Michael Keane but Premier League strugglers Everton are wary of selling the England international to a relegation rival, according to talkSPORT.
He’ll never admit it, of course, but Keane may have been tempted to let out an almighty sigh of relief when the news of Frank Lampard’s departure filtered through the airwaves on Monday afternoon.
The £30 million signing from Burnley, a regular under Carlo Ancelotti, Marco Silva and Rafael Benitez, had been anything but under Lampard. Keane has played only 22 minutes of Premier League football all season; plummeting down the pecking order following the summer arrivals of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady.
Lampard’s sacking, then, serves to wipe the slate clean. Then again, even if Everton had opted to keep the faith with the one-time Chelsea boss, it is no guarantee that Keane would have been allowed to leave during the winter window, regardless of his lack of game time at Goodison Park.
Everton concerned about Michael Keane exit amid Leeds United interest
TEAMtalk name West Ham, Leeds and Southampton as three clubs interested in the 12-time England international. But Everton, understandably, have reservations about letting such an experienced player join a direct rival midway through a tumultuous campaign.
The optics certainly wouldn’t good. Imagine Keane joining Leeds and thriving under Jesse Marsch, helping the Yorkshire giants avoid the drop while consigning his former employers to the Championship. It’s a risk Everton really don’t need to take.
The Toffees turned down bids from West Ham and Nottingham Forest over the summer. Keane, meanwhile, remains under contract until the summer of 2025.
A former Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Leicester City loanee; Stockport-born Keane started his career at Leeds’ cross-Pennine rivals Manchester United a decade ago.
The chances are that Keane will still leave Goodison Park at some point in the near future. But, with Everton’s top-flight status on the line, a summer departure appears far more likely than a January one.
Leeds, meanwhile, have already reinforced their backline with another Red Bull import; Austria international Maximilian Wober. The one-time Ajax youngster impressed in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Brentford.
“Max very clear with his role and has fitted in seamlessly,” Marsch tells Leeds Live. “Very strong performances and a big reason to get the clean sheet. Intelligence, communication and ability on the ball.
“(Wober is) probably best passing centre-back I have worked with. His intelligence has helped the whole group. (We) have not conceded with him on the pitch. That says a lot about his clarity and our expectations.”
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