It looks like Kevin Keegan is getting concerned that contract talks with his key player Michael Owen have not yet started.
Michael Owen – no talks have yet started with the Newcastle captain
Kevin talked to the People today about the situation with Michael:
”He has every right to be free at the end of next season and go anywhere he wants,” ”That’s why I said eight weeks ago we should tie him up.—If we don’t, and we lose him, then what can I say? It shouldn’t happen and it probably won’t happen. But it could.â€
“He’s not knocking the door down saying what’s happening and I’m not pushing things either. I said what I said and I think Michael knows how I feel.â€
”In a playing sense, he’s been asked different questions and the answers he’s coming up with are world class.†“In the position he’s playing in for us, nobody in the world could do a better job.â€
”He’s linking us up and scoring goals. Instead of having one player up front we’ve got two. It’s like we’re playing with 12 men sometimes.” Owen’s return to fitness and form after a Toon career previously dogged by injury has caught the eye of all the big four clubs.”
There’s one thing very clear about Kevin Keegan since he rejoined Newcastle United, and that is he thinks (knows) that Michael Owen is world class.
He is so anxious for Newcastle to tie up the England star, and we think his concerns are not real. But there again, we should be ensuring Michael stays at the club now, since there’s no good reason to wait, now that relegation is no longer a possibility.
We should start the contract talks now, before some team expresses an interest in Michael.
So we think Kevin is right that we should be talking to Michael about staying at Newcastle, and tie Michael up as soon as possible.
He’s earned that by the way he has assumed responsibility since Keegan arrived at the club, not to mention the great goals he’s scored for the team.
Come on Chris, let’s get those talking started – and completed asap.
Comments welcome.
20 comments so far
lee
May 4, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Comment #1get it sorted
Lazy
May 4, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Comment #2I think they’re (the board) scared to spend money on players for some reason. We better not lose him. 🙁
RayNUFC
May 4, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Comment #3Owen has proven he can still compete at this level, time to get it sorted. Despite what was said in the past about Keegans time as England manager, Owen has shown he is a true pro and the pair seem to be happy working with one another. After the Modric fiasco wouldn’t we be better trying to keep the world class players we have?
Leo
May 4, 2008 at 10:17 AM
Comment #4yeah agreed, get it sorted, and fast, i think there are two clubs in the top 4 that wouldnt mind owen in their team, liverpool and chelsea need someone like him it would be a shame to loose him now
Jim
May 4, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Comment #5There’s been many reasons for the great turn around, but the biggest two:
1. Special K
2. Our magnificent Captain.
Get it sorted quick before one of the top four start circling….did I say quick…I mean NOW!
Doctapaul
May 4, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Comment #6A fit Owen will score 20 goals next season.
SurreyMag
May 4, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Comment #7Not just him, get Martins on a new contact too or Wenger will have him
Toon1978
May 4, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Comment #8Absolute joke any other club in the EPL would of sorted this by now but not us what a bunch of toss pots a really do wonder if CASHLEY has any ambitions for NUFC because up to now he has done nothing. Think its pretty sensible to keep your best players and get rid of the dross but we seem to keep the dross and let the quality go. This annoys me to the core because it doesn’t take much Brian power to work this out. TAYLORS contract not yet sorted, OWENS contract not yet sorted, N’ZOGBIA on his way out, what is the board doing because to me they are letting the world go by rumours have it that ARSENAL are sniffing around TAYLOR as well as LIVERPOOL. At this rate all our best players will be gone. Could throttle our men at the top ATM moment ANGRY is not the word that comes close. DISGRUNTLED,DISSALUSSIONED and FED UP with false dawns and hope. If we lose OWEN and TAYLOR then that will be the last straw.
Taiwantoon
May 4, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Comment #9I think the board need to act soon. We acted too slow in securing Modric and it would really piss me off if Owen is unsettled because we fail to offer him a new contract sooner. Honestly, I was not a big fan of Owen’s, I thought he rely on supplies too much, but he has proved me wrong in recent games. I am just hoping he carry on doing that for us.
Nobby's dad
May 4, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Comment #10Toon 1978……Ashley buys the club, installs Keegan AND pays off £90 million debt. Sets in motion the FIRST proper scouting system our club has ever had, targets youngsters – something again that has never been done on any large scale…….no ambition there then??
From all you previous comments I doubt you are really a Toon fan…….cos if you were you’d know about the dark days under McKeeg when we were a selling club (SuperMac /Waddle/ Beadsley/ Gazza etc). Now those were days of no ambition. You want to wake up !!
najikhin
May 4, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Comment #11sometimes, i had a feeling that the board was not that serious in tying up our best players and spend like other sugar daddy of other clubs. yes i know CASHLEY had paid off our debt,but if he dat serious in business, he wouldn’t mind forking out 5millions more in getting Modric signature right? the problem is our best players really want to stay,is it dat difficult to just to sit on a table, and just discuss about the contract? and the contract saga between NUFC and Taylor is going to enter the 2nd year. please sort out this mess.
i beg you CM and MA!!!
Nobby's dad
May 4, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Comment #12najikhin…….forking out £5 million more to get Modric!! For f*cks sake get real!! This is EXACTLY the approach that Leeds took. I would have liked to have seen Modric, but not at any price. Paying over the odds is plain stupid.
I remember the last ‘new big thing’ from Croatia when we signed Silvio Maric…..Ruud G thought he was going to be a world beater – he looked great in European games but turned out to be a dud – 4.5 million down the drain.
Archie Brand
May 4, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Comment #13For so called dedicated fans we dont half rattle easily.
Keegan has said that Owen has not been knocking on his door.
Hasnt it also been said that Keegan wont be dealing with contracts? Wasnt it also said a couple of weeks ago that the management were trying to tie Owen down to another 110K a week deal?
Where does all this stuff come from?
Owens contract is good for another year. If another team comes along with the readies and its a shrewd deal for us, then off he goes. Same with any player.
Its one thing to healthily discuss possibilities but you’re all starting to sound like a bunch of Makem Fishwives.
Give it a rest and let them get on with it.
najikhin
May 4, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Comment #14fine with modric.. but at least tie down our best players.. they are our future..theres no one else..
Jim
May 4, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Comment #15Shrewd deal Archie Brand…No amount of readies is gonna be a shrewd deal for Owen as we want goals not money in the coffers…Give him a good deal and we won’t look back.
yet_another_indian_toon
May 4, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Comment #16Thats not very promising news… but wait and watch, lets not jump into any bandwagon and start heaping abuses at the club…. Lets keep the faith for the time being.
Concentrate on tomorrows game now lads…. Its the sternest test so far…
Shaz
May 4, 2008 at 1:42 PM
Comment #17great , owen will be on his way to anfield.it must be liverpool that owen is desperate to join and hence hesitating on signing extension.
Paul
May 4, 2008 at 2:05 PM
Comment #18If we want money in the coffers AND goals the easiest (best?) solution—keep Owen!
mitch
May 4, 2008 at 8:11 PM
Comment #19Owen has not met any one to even look at a contract never mind hesitate on signing one shaz wait and see is all we can do
brian
May 4, 2008 at 8:22 PM
Comment #20this will get done, it has to