He insisted that he was in charge of a good club with a good team, but the forward already appeared to be convinced.Then came the words that McMenemy had been desperate, but hardly expecting, to hear. He had achieved as much throughout his career hitherto, clinching titles with Liverpool and then in Hamburg, but a new challenge elsewhere whetted his appetite. The gruelling training methods of HSV coach Branko Zebec, though often effective, were taking their toll on him physically, and he informed his boss that if he did not seek a move elsewhere, there was a strong chance that he would burn himself out by the time he had reached 30.Keegan was fiercely competitive and boasted an indubitable determination to win. Even Keegan’s agent, Harry Swales, was unaware until the manager informed his new striker’s representative of the deal, instructing him to head towards Southampton Airport on the Monday, where he would greet his client, Jean, baby Laura and He did, however, nearly let slip that Keegan was a Southampton player on the evening before his unveiling.
Reporters recovered from the initial shock to swiftly rise to their feet, showering Keegan with adulation while he nonchalantly made his way over and shook his manager’s hand, with every person in the Potters Heron room joined in a standing ovation. Voyaging into the world of football management, famously coaching England and squandering a 12-point Premier League lead with Newcastle in 1995/96, the amazing story of the 'Mighty Mouse's' playing days have been somewhat forgotten in recent yearsBut reminiscing over the glory of Keegan's career highlights just how talented the plucky Englishman was, with his lung-busting and intricate runs aptly matching his proficiency in front of goal.
The highlights of Kevin Keegan's illustrious career spanning across England and Germany, hitting its peak in the late 1970's. It was clear that McMenemy’s side could have finished far higher than the seventh place in which they eventually resided, but their defence leaked 67 goals over the course of the season. “Have you got a contract?” Keegan asked, as the Saints boss, accompanied by Askham, sat shocked. HSV would go on to win the Bundesliga title in the 1978/79 season, with the tricky Englishman's 17 goals helping him earn a second successive Ballon d'Or award - making him just the fourth player to have won the trophy more than once by 1979.Later nicknamed the 'Mighty Mouse' by teammates, Keegan would play just one more season in Germany, narrowly missing out on the European Cup after losing to Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the final. He is also the only Englishman to have won the award while playing abroad. After expecting to be joined by new arrivals, he arrived at Heathrow to see a plethora of Saints’ youth team players waiting to board the plane, with McMenemy joining them the following day. The first – and only – sniff that there would even be a remote possibility of the England international plying his trade at The Dell for the foreseeable future came on that historic Monday afternoon, in which shockwaves were sent through the footballing world.Midway through the 1979/80 season, Keegan had decided that it was time to seek pastures new. The Saints manager, who led the club to their first and only major honour in 1976 as they lifted the FA Cup, was tight-lipped, and only disclosed that the meeting would revolve around “someone who was going to play a big part in Southampton’s future”.The room settled and McMenemy prepared to reveal just why he had summoned the media in such a peculiarly hurried manner. The new arrival was initially unimpressed by the brutal practices carried out by his teammates, often found on Fridays, as they crowded the gym and proceeded to “kick the living daylights out of each other”, in his own words. “But I’m going home to England.”The fundamental reason behind her reluctance to follow her husband to Juve was based around safety concerns; news of kidnaps and targeted crime towards famous figures in Italy offered little reassurance that Turin would be the most appropriate place to usher their newborn baby Laura through her childhood.Keegan made a u-turn and drew a line through Italy as one of his next possible destinations. “And something broke for me that day.”By the time the summer had rolled around, everything pointed towards a move for the forward, who was now 31. During a dinner party and over more than a couple of glasses of wine, McMenemy’s close friend and author, Leslie Thomas, sensed that a fresh face would be arriving at The Dell. Again, Keegan was crowned as the continent’s most exceptional player in 1979.Speculation surrounded the future of the forward as he geared up for his third season on German soil, but Keegan, touched by the affection of the club’s supporters and driven by his ambitions of a second European Cup after his first at Liverpool, was committed to helping Hamburg conquer. “To hell with the light,” McMenemy remembers telling his new man, as he tied up the most significant transfer in Southampton’s history.Keegan’s future was sealed and Saints had clinched his signature courtesy of a masterclass in persuasion from McMenemy.
A coup of logarithmic proportions was taking place underneath everyone in football’s noses, and not a single soul suspected that Keegan would be leaving HSV to come to lowly Southampton. He had always been fond of what Hampshire had to offer and enjoyed the New Forest, but more significantly saw Southampton as a place at which he could achieve stability for his new family.At one point during the 1979/80 season, it looked as though Keegan could have been headed to Turin.