CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy finally got their man.
Robbie Keane was officially brought aboard Monday as he and the Galaxy agreed to terms on a contract that will eventually see the Irish national-team star line up alongside former English Premier League rivals David Beckham and Landon Donovan.
READ: LA Galaxy Agree to Terms With Ireland International Robbie Keane
“He can be an excellent addition to our club,” LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “He’s an experienced player, a proven player at the club and international level and is at an age where he can still have many productive years ahead of him.”
Keane, 31, is the 10th all-time leading scorer in EPL history and arrives from Tottenham Hotspur. The Ireland international will be available to the Galaxy when two things happen: 1) He receives a work visa, and 2) the Galaxy clear a Designated Player off their roster. As Keane will be a DP, the Galaxy will then need to accommodate his arrival in such a manner.
WATCH: Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena & players discuss the signing
“We know once his visa is approved we have to make some moves that will permit us in accordance to league rules to have Robbie Keane here,” Arena said. “Best-case scenario would be this weekend. That’s really cutting it close.”
The Galaxy will play Motagua in a CONCACAF Champions League match on Tuesday (7:00 p.m. PT, concacaf.com) and will host San Jose in a league game on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT, PRIME TICKET). The hope is that Keane will do something no other striker on the club has done this season — fill the nets consistently.
“We’re not as clean as we want to be in the last part of the field, not as dangerous, not as multi-dimensional as we need to be,” Arena said. “We’d been looking to see if we could find another player we could add to the roster that has those qualities.”
Donovan leads the team in goals this season with 11, but with him lining up mostly in the midfield, the goals from up top have been sporadic. After a much-hyped offseason acquisition of Juan Pablo Ángel, the former Red Bulls star has all of three goals. Chad Barrett leads Galaxy forwards in goals with four.
According to Donovan, Keane could change that.
“I’ve always respected him from afar mainly because he’s just a guy who is honest and works hard,” the Galaxy captain said. “He’s the type of player who will succeed in this league because … he’s a humble player and he works hard and is going to put himself in really good spots to score goals.”
As far as Ángel, who seems to be the odd man out, Donovan said he and his teammates have enjoyed having the Colombian legend around.
“Juan has been a great addition to our team this year," he said. "We all like playing with him. He’s a great professional and whatever happens, happens."
Photos: Robbie Keane
