Robbie Keane was barred from any potential move to Wolves by a spectacular £15m deal between Tottenham and West Ham, it emerged today.

The Irish star prepares to make his latest emotional Molineux homecoming tomorrow, but in a Villa shirt after his six-week loan from LA Galaxy.

Many Wolves fans have hoped for a return for their one-time golden boy, and the club’s most coveted academy graduate was open to the prospect of returning to the team where he started his glittering career in 1997.

But any chances of that happening last January were scuppered after West Ham agreed to the staggering deal which would have been triggered had they stayed up last season.

The Hammers paid a £1m loan fee to Spurs to take the 31-year-old for the rest of the campaign.

But the former Coventry, Inter Milan, Leeds, Liverpool and Celtic striker was also promised a £5m permanent move and a three-year contract to match his £60,000-a-week-plus wages at Spurs, if West Ham had won their survival battle.

West Ham’s offer for the Ireland captain would have mounted up to a mind-boggling £15m, putting anything Wolves would have been able to put on the table firmly in the shade.

Wolves had enquired about taking Keane on loan 12 months before. Such was the scale of the Hammers’ offer, however, that Spurs wouldn’t deal with any other club. And former Wolves keeper Matt Murray believes there was never any chance that his close friend would come back.

“There have been a few times when he’s been linked to come back, but it’s never materialised,” said Murray.

“This time last year, Tottenham were only listening to West Ham so he had no choice to make.

“A few fans might think he’s turned his back on Wolves, but he has ultimate respect for Mick McCarthy – Mick gave him his chance at international level. But I don’t think there has ever been a concrete bid where he has had that choice to make.”

Wolves skipper Roger Johnson is set to be fit for the game after missing the FA Cup replay against former club Birmingham with an ankle injury.

Full-back Kevin Foley (ankle) and winger Matt Jarvis (hamstring) are also expected to be available after being ruled out of the shock third round exit at Molineux.

Nine-goal top scorer Steven Fletcher will return along with the other nine players not included for the replay as Wolves look to build on last weekend’s impressive 1-1 draw at Tottenham.

See also:

• £18m Molineux revamp work is delayed
• McCarthy stands by FA Cup reshuffle
• Kevin Doyle backed to get back on the boil for Wolves