In June, Wales hoped that Roy Keane would end his coaching exile to take over for Robert Page.
With his 2018 dismissal from his role as Ireland‘s assistant coach under Martin O’Neill, Keane has been absent from the global stage. A year after reuniting with O’Neill at Nottingham Forest, Keane’s coaching career came to a halt.
Amidst a challenging Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, Football Association of Wales’ president Noel Mooney reportedly suggested Keane as the high-profile contender to replace Page.
According to The Sun, Rob Page was under increasing pressure when the proposal was initially put forward in the summer.
How are Wales performing in 2023?
Two victories, one draw, and two losses characterize Wales’ performance in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Both wins were against the group’s weakest team, Latvia.
Meanwhile, their 4-2 home loss to Armenia has put them behind Turkish and Croatian opponents. At the moment, the Dragons sit fourth in the group table. They have a must-win matchup against Croatia at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday, October 15.
If they are unable to secure an automatic berth in the Euro 2024 tournament, Mooney has promised to assess Rob Page’s tenure as head coach next month.
Even if they don’t get in automatically, Wales still have a shot of making it to the tournament if they do well in the play-offs. Yet Page has evidently come under increasing scrutiny after a dismal campaign.
Why is Roy Keane not coaching Wales?
Some in the Welsh FA believe that Mooney had intended to replace Page with a more well-known figure, but that he was ultimately convinced against it. In fact, the report adds that Mooney is a huge fan of the former midfielder Keane.
Whether FAW has the financial wherewithal to tempt a manager of Keane’s caliber to the post is up for debate. The 52-year-old has been a fixture in the Sky Sports studio in recent years, and would need tempting to leave.
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