Club reveal how close they came to signing Robbie Keane

The club has revealed for the first time just how close they came to signing Robbie Keane from Leeds in the summer of 2002.

SAFC were roundly criticised for releasing a statement saying they were on the point of signing the prolific Leeds forward, in an attempt to head off mounting criticism for not signing big names, after only narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of the 2001/02 season.

The statement, released at lunchtime on 2nd July 2002, said that Sunderland had agreed a fee for Keane's transfer, and had been given permission to open talks with the Irishman and his representatives about personal terms. But by the end of the same afternoon, supporters' hopes were all but crushed, and it looked like Sunderland wasn't Keane's preferred destination after all.

Recriminations over the affair rebound to this day, with many supporters accusing the club for releasing the statement before the deal was completed, and releasing it only to secure season ticket sales after a disappointing season - the announcement was made only three days before the deadline for applications.

But the Club has this weekend released details of how agonisingly close they came to making Keane a Sunderland player, and have defended their decision to release that ill-fated statement about the deal.

The Football Echo says Peter Reid had been told he could spend £10m on players to strengthen his squad in preparation for the 2002/03 season, and Peter Reid had decided to invest the majority of that money in buying a striker, with Leeds player Keane - now Ireland's all-time record goalscorer - his target.

At the time, David O'Leary was still at the helm at Elland Road but cashflow problems meant he would have to sell players.

Keane became aware of Reid's interest and his countryman, Sunderland legend Niall Quinn 'sold' the idea of a transfer to him successfully - and a fee of £8m was agreed between the two clubs.

But David O'Leary's sacking on 27th June came out of the blue and the transfer was put on hold while Leeds hunted for a new manager. Terry Venables was appointed as O'Leary's successor but Keane's agent couldn't be contacted to finish the deal as he was on business overseas.

Venables reportedly asked Sunderland to wait while he arranged to explain to Leeds' remaining players why he'd decided to let some of their colleagues go to other clubs - but before finishing that task, decamped overseas for television commitments.

In a final bid to give supporters hope that the club WAS capable of making the big name signings they craved, the "Keane signing" press release was made.

But Spurs had declared their interest in Keane by this time, Keane's agent decided that a transfer to White Hart Lane was a better option for his client, and the rest is history.