Robbie Keane signs new contract

Last updated : 28 May 2007 By Gareth Davies
Fresh from the signing of Gareth Bale the club are delighted to announce that Robbie Keane has signed a new five year contract to extend his stay at Tottenham until 2012.

The Republic of Ireland forward has enjoyed his most prolific season in a Spurs shirt, bagging 22 goals in all competitions despite a slow start. Robbie's form won him a joint Player of the Month award alongside his strike partner Dimitar Berbatov and the two have formed a formidable front line over the course of the season.

Keane said: "I have felt really settled and happy at Spurs and that is probably one of the reasons I have played the best football of my career here.

It is an exciting time to be at the club and I am looking forward to even better seasons ahead."

Club Chairman Daniel Levy was also delighted with the news, saying: "Robbie has been an influential part of our club for five years and this further commitment, on the part of both him and the club, is a recognition of that.

"The key to retaining top players is to agree long-term contracts.We have now done so with several of our existing squad, extending the contracts of Aaron Lennon, Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone, as well as having contracted newer players on long contracts, such as Dimitar Berbatov and Didier Zokora."

The allusion to contract lengths and their importance to securing the clubs top players seems a clear indication of Levy and the board's intention to keep Dimitar Berbatov, after press speculation over the weekend linked the Bulgarian to a £39m move to Premiership Champions Manchester United. Though the story was probably a total fabrication, it is still encouraging that the board is sending out all the right messages at a time when it is crucial that we hang on to our top talent in order to continue the progression we have made over the past three seasons. The news that Robbie Keane has committed his future to the club is an example of how the players themselves also believe in what the manager and the Board are trying to achieve.