Roy Keane could ease out of hot water at Nottingham Forest simply because manager Brian Clough could not afford to do without him. The £5 million rated Northern Irishman had refused to extend his contract, made public remarks about his unhappiness about playing in defence and was involved in a nightclub brawl which led to his arrest that week. But negotiations to keep him at the club were at such a delicate stage that his manager was expected to take no action against Keane. City ground insiders expected Keane to escape with no more than a ticking off as they hoped to secure him till 1996 amidst interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid.