Dr Dekel And Mr Hyde

You may be wondering what the title is about; let me explain… sometimes Dekel Keinan looks an incredibly solid centre half, whilst at other times he looks like a fish out of water. Ok, so the title sounded a lot better in my head!

Keinan had his fans early doors, but I was never entirely convinced by him, and neither it appears is ‘Pool manager Ian Holloway, with national media reports linking the Israeli international with a move away from Bloomfield Road.

It is unknown yet whether such a move would be a loan or permanent deal, but Cardiff and QPR are said to be tracking the player. Indeed, Cardiff had him watched at the weekend against Southampton.

Ollie must be frustrated that Keinan has not made the impact he anticipated with the Seasiders, especially after the length of time it took to complete his transfer in the summer.

Of course it’s very possible that Ollie just wishes to loan him out to get some games under his belt and to help bring him up to the speed of English football – indeed, Keinan himself is quoted as saying ‘I have heard Cardiff want me, and it is important for me to be playing’.

Then again, the Seasiders have been linked with Preston centre half Sean St. Ledger in what would be a shock move – could he be a replacement for Keinan whose contract is up in the summer, although the club also have a one year option on top of that?

Another factor to perhaps consider is that Keinan is alleged to be one of the better paid players at Bloomers; perhaps Ollie is looking to free up more of his wage budget to spend this month?

Before the transfer window opened Ollie said that he planned to ship out players he’d realised weren’t up to Premier League standard, and although Keinan has Champions League and international experience and was linked to a host of English clubs before arriving at Blackpool, could he be one of the players that the gaffer was referring to?

I guess that we will find out in the coming weeks. In the meantime, make sure that you stay tuned to Vital for all of the January transfer window news.