Cardiff City: 146-cap ex-Republic of Ireland international could be perfect fit if Omer Riza is snubbed | OneFootball

Speculation over the vacant Bluebirds job remains rife, but the club could do worse than this left-field choice if the favourite Riza isn't appointed.

Cardiff City fans will currently be among the most frustrated in the EFL after a poor start to the season combined with a dragged-out managerial search.

The Bluebirds have been without a permanent manager since September after Erol Bulut was dismissed after picking up a solitary point from their opening six league games.

Although Omer Riza, who was part of Bulut's backroom staff, has been leading the team temporarily, it has now been over two months since the hunt for a new permanent boss in the Welsh capital began.

Riza reportedly met with club owner Vincent Tan in the latter's native Malaysia recently, but developments in the process have been few and far between.

Therefore, if the Bluebirds' hierarchy ultimately overlooks Riza, looking at a manager who was most recently coaching in Israel could be the way to go - in the form of Irish icon Robbie Keane.

Keane is probably one of the most famous footballers ever to emerge from the Emerald Isle. He had spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Inter Milan and Leeds United before joining Tottenham Hotspur, where he made his name. After a disappointing period at Liverpool, he headed back to White Hart Lane before spells at Celtic, West Ham United, LA Galaxy and Aston Villa.

His final club was Indian Super League side ATK, managed by his former teammate Teddy Sheringham. However, when Sheringham was sacked, Keane was appointed player-manager before leaving the club in 2018 and ultimately retiring from football.

Internationally, he became the Republic of Ireland's record appearance holder and goalscorer, with 68 goals in 146 appearances in green and white. He represented his country at the 2002 World Cup and the European Championships in 2012 and 2016 respectively.

After leaving ATK, he became the Republic of Ireland's assistant manager and took up coaching roles at Middlesbrough and Leeds before heading to Israel to become the Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach in 2023 - an interesting first ever managerial role but one that demanded a lot of expectation.

Robbie Keane's year at Maccabi Tel-Aviv was statistically impressive

Keane joined the club on a two-year contract, with his appointment criticised by some on the Emerald Isle. After a fast start to the 2023/24 season, the league was paused following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, with Keane being evacuated to Greece.

Maccabi's continental campaign in the Europa Conference League, however, continued. They finished top of their group before throwing away a 4-1 first-leg advantage against Greek side Olympiakos and losing 7-5 on aggregate in the last 16.

Despite this, Keane, alongside his assistant - former Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap, guided the club to their 25th Israeli Premier League title and their eighth Toto League Cup after the domestic season resumed.

He departed the club at the end of the season, but as head coach, returned a seriously impressive record, winning 38 of his 53 matches in charge.

Robbie Keane would be left-field but an exciting choice if Vincent Tan snubs Omer Riza

It's been a rough start to the season for Cardiff, with the club looking at serious risk of being dragged into a relegation fight if their form doesn't improve.

There's no doubt results have picked up in the Welsh capital under Riza's temporary guardianship of the top job but there is a lot of room for further improvement.

The fact it is taking the Bluebirds so long to appoint a new manager permanently could be hugely frustrating Riza and, although he is the favourite to be appointed, there are no guarantees.

Therefore, if he is snubbed, appointing a promising managerial talent in Keane would not be a bad decision.

Despite only having one full season of experience under his belt (in a league that isn't famed for its footballing talent), he nonetheless guided Maccabi to trophies and had a strong record there.

The fact he is so familiar with the English football pyramid, combined with currently being out of a job, makes Keane an underrated choice for the top job in Cardiff.