Transfer deadline drama intrigues Beckham

LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said he enjoyed watching the drama of transfer deadline day from afar.

The European transfer window slammed shut on Friday, with more than 490 million pounds spent by just English Premier League clubs alone.

And while the 37-year-old likes to immerse himself in the fun of deadline day, he admits it can be a difficult time for the players involved.

“At Manchester United we were never really aware of it,” Beckham said. “The manager always took care of that and I was never part of a countdown so to speak.

“It’s always exciting, it’s exciting to watch, because there’s always a couple of panic buys right at the end and people trying to rush players through.

“It’s exciting to watch but I’m sure it’s not too exciting to be part of.”

Beckham is gearing up for an MLS showdown with Vancouver on Saturday, as the LA side look to close the gap on the teams above them in the Western Conference.

The 2011 MLS champions, who sit three points ahead of the Whitecaps in fourth position, came from two-goals down to earn a point in the pair’s previous meeting.

“We know that they’ve (Vancouver) got players that can go through the team and create chances and cause problems for us” he said.

“But if we play as well as we did in the second half against them (Vancouver) in the last game then we should be fine however if we play like we did in the first half then we won’t be.

“We know they’re a good team; they’re going to come here with a couple of good players. As long as we play our own game then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Galaxy striker Robbie Keane, meanwhile, is looking forward to meeting up with his Republic of Ireland team mates ahead of their first 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Friday.

“We’ve had a week off, and we know there’s a couple of week’s break until the next game so I think it’s always important to get a win and keep the confidence in the camp when you go away for two week,” the former Premier League striker said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting up with the guys (Republic of Ireland team) again.

“We have a long trip to Kazakhstan. I don’t know too much about them but I’ll look forward to seeing the guys again and hopefully start getting back to winning ways with them.

“As a nation it’s important that we qualify for every tournament and that needs to start now because we often qualify for one then miss out for ten years so that’s not good enough.

“We need to be qualifying every two or four years. It’s important for our nation that we qualify for these tournaments.”