Naby Keita is already onto his second club since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2022/23 season, and he now has a new manager whose name will be familiar to Reds supporters.
The Guinea midfielder is on loan at Ferencvaros from Werder Bremen, where he’s endured a nightmare of things since his departure from Anfield 20 months ago, and the Hungarian side have had a notable change in the dugout.
Keane announced as new Ferencvaros manager
The Budapest-based club announced on Monday (via fradi.hu) that Robbie Keane has taken over as their new head coach, with the ex-LFC striker replacing Pascal Jansen.
The 44-year-old – who had half a season at Liverpool in 2008/09 – was most recently in charge of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who he guided to the Israeli top-flight title last year and also led to the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.
It’s the Irishman’s second post as a manager in senior football, having previously held assistant roles at Middlesbrough and Leeds, as well as his country’s national team (Transfermarkt).
Keita and Keane hoping for a smoother 2025
For different reasons, both Keita and Keane have been at the centre of controversy over the past 12 months.
The ex-Liverpool midfielder was suspended by Werder Bremen last April following reports that he refused to board the team bus for a match against Bayer Leverkusen upon learning that he wouldn’t be in the starting XI, an accusation that he strongly contested.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland’s all-time leading goalscorer faced condemnation from pro-Palestine campaigners during his year in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv for not resigning from the post until eight months after the attacks which triggered the Israel-Hamas war.
With Keita turning 30 next month and enduring an injury-ravaged career following his £52.75m move to Liverpool in 2018, it should be interesting to see if Keane can instigate an upturn in fortunes for the talented but enigmatic Guinea international.
The Irishman’s on-field success with his previous club suggests that Ferencvaros have made a shrewd appointment, and hopefully both men can enjoy success in Budapest.
