There are lots of rumors today about what happened at the meeting yesterday between Newcastle officials, including manager Joe Kinnear, and Michael Owen’s representatives, to discuss Michael’s new contract.
Michael Owen – don’t believe too much on contract talk reports
Most of these reports will just be pure conjecture, so we should take them all with a pinch of salt.
Some are reporting that his deal is 4 years and not 3 years, and that the basic salary is £90K/week rather than the £80K/week that has been widely reported.
But we have no idea what the deal is and that should be kept private by all concerned.
We would hope that Michael thinks he owes Newcastle United for the time he has been away over the last three and a half years, through injury, but emotion hardly ever enters into these business negotiations, so we can only hope.
In fact we’ll be OK whichever way he decides, because if he stays that will be great, becasue it will show he is committed to the Newcastle United cause.
If he elects to move away, then that is his right, and we wouldn’t really want Michael at the club, if he wants to seek better money elsewhere, it’s as easy and as simple as that, from our viewpoint. We would prefer that he stays and commits himself to our great club.
But as long as the offer is a good one, our gut feeling is that Michael will want to stay on Tyneside, whatever the papers say in the interim period.
One thing we would hope will not happen is that Michael drags this on until the summer.
If he is going to move on, it would be better for all concerned if he announces that intention, or if he wants to stay on Tyneside, he should sign on the dotted line.
The last thing we want at Newcastle United in the next 6 months or so is another soap opera, we’ve already had our fill of those this season.
All we want now is to start winning games on the field.
Comments welcome.
26 comments so far
Tom4Nufc
Dec 17, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Comment #1Please sign. 4year would be more attractive for him, would make him a 33yr old on 90k a week (reportadly) and bonuses to come…. Not bad!
Partizan
Dec 17, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Comment #2Straight swap with Elano would not be such a bad idea.
sirjasontoon
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Comment #3Undecided..can’t see anyone apart from man city giving him 90k a week.
dan
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Comment #4I think he’ll go to City in the summer.
Their the only club in my mind that would want him and can pay his rediculous wages.
Partizan
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Comment #5Exactly Jason,that’s why i recomended the swap cos they’re the only team who could afford his wages.
And we all know what MO wants the most…$$$$
I mean,other teams could afford but they wont do that…..he’s too risky with his injuries.
Dev
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Comment #6Can’t believe you still think Owen will sign a new contract. It’s time to plan for life without him, not wait for him to go on a free, which is what he is going to do.
neeraj
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Comment #7its not only wages but the newcastle’s league position
owen would wait till mid january see our league position and other team who are offering him contract position….
but owen morally owes couple of season to the club now its totally up to him whether he will sign or not…..
Whumpie
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:11 AM
Comment #8The Elano swap idea is a good one, but I can’t see that happening.
I think the biggest argument for him staying is that we’re the only people who can afford him and who will make him 1st choice every time. Is he likely to get onto the pitch at the cost of the likes of Tevez, Rooney or Ronaldo? Probably not.
Playing for Newcastle is the only way he’s likely to play a big part in the England team, and while some think it’s about the money for him, I disagree – it’s about the personal glory. With the exception of Big Al, that’s pretty much what drives every great striker.
Darling27
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Comment #9He’ll sign for Man City.
adam
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Comment #10I think Arsenal may put a cheeky bid in. 5mil in Jan with a big signing on fee for Owen and then he will agree to their wage structure. It is just a hunch but they’re desperate for a top class player like him since they are also quite short at the moment…
sirjasontoon
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Comment #11See what happens,tricky one,if it is 90k a week over 4 years that is an excellent offer plus add ons,his sponsorships etc etc
Maybe a swop deal would be good for us..paper talk about him going to Wigan haha that would be funny.
cam_toon
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Comment #12Its all the usual rubbish.
Owen will sign a new deal. I am sure about it.
Tore Torell
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Comment #13Quite sure Owen will wait and see what kind of offers he can get from other clubs. If City offers him the salary he is on today, he’ll for sure grab a large signing fee and leave Toon.
Of course he morally owes Toon a few years, but football doesn’t work like that today, the moral has left the game years ago.
sirjasontoon
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Comment #14Cam Toon…I admire your positive stance..it is football my friend and nothing is ever sure until the ink has dried.
neeraj
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Comment #15i think he will go to city after the end of this season,
coz this season they are playing badly……
he will be shevchenko kind of signing for the new manager i am 99 percent sure that mark hughes is gonna get sacked……
so again he would be playing waiting game…..
Whumpie
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Comment #16Dev – the obvious question: where would he go?
Top 4? Nope. At 29, he doesn’t want to be bench-warming because that’s a striker’s worst nightmare, and Capello won’t want him because he won’t be sharp enough. Chelski and Arsenal are also at the wrong end of the country.
Man Citeh? Possibly. But they’re not exactly setting the world alight at the moment and given their last player purchase (£32M) are they not likely to be buying other strikers who would be ahead of him in the queue? Too many unknowns, I’d have thought.
Anyone else: can’t afford him and probably can’t offer enough of anything else to make him move his kids out of school.
That’s why I still think there’s a chance he’ll stay. Bizarrely, we may be his best option.
neeraj
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Comment #17ihaving said that
portsmouth might e looking at owen situation with harry redknapp keen to take back defoe….
i think his pref order would be
newcastle
portsmouth/spurs
man city
Daniel
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Comment #18Your forgetting there are leagues other than the premiership, he could potentially look for a move to Italy, or try his look again in Spain. I reckon there’d be plenty clubs on the continent looking at him, maybe even Bayern.
Nick 69
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Comment #19adam- how are arsenal short of top class forwards exactly? adebayor, van persie and eduardo are all better than owen, plus they have bendtner and vela, so why on earth would they wanna buy owen.
man utd, chelsea and arsenal wont want him, liverpool probably not but with keane not working out so far theres a possibility, man city i would imagine will be trying to buy superstars- which owen isnt anymore, spurs are a possibility although they wont match the wages, wigan apparently want him to partner heskey which is laughable, so all in all i think we have a pretty good chance of holding onto him
Partizan
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Comment #20Daniel…..I don’t think he’ll move away from England….English players don’t belong to other leagues most of the time….if not all the time.
They turn out to be big flops there in terms of playing but very good on marketing point of view.
Stardust
Dec 17, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Comment #21Cant see City signing him and they are our main threat, they have Robinho, I think they would rather sign another more imposing striker, so Owen will also know if he goes there he is more likely to be used as a sub in a rotation over the next 3 or 4 years, not good for his England hopes.
We have a fighting chance to keep him.
Daniel
Dec 17, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Comment #22Partizan, not enough english players have moved abroad to have much evidence for that. Hargreaves was successful, Mcmanaman was, even Owen was quite successful at his time with Madrid. I can’t see why he wouldn’t want to move abroad really, if offered decent money, a slower pace of game and a nicer lifestyle. Also gets him away from the media, would probably help sponsorship earnings, and potentially improve him opening Capellos eyes.
Partizan
Dec 17, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Comment #23Mcmanaman was not successfull
Hargreaves……Didn’t go from EPL to Bundes so he didn’t have the epl style of playing when he moved to Bayern.
Owen….good goal ratio
Beckham….Flop
What about less known players in Epl…..why do you think they never had the guts to play abroad.
Why do you think that none of the good teams never wanted them.
Cos they know they’re way too overrated and never bring value for their money.
Dev
Dec 17, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Comment #24He will go….doesnt matter where really. If he had any intention of staying he would have came out and said he wants to stay…..
It really is time we started trying to find the best strike partner for Oba Martins.
Guinea Mag
Dec 17, 2008 at 3:24 PM
Comment #25Newcastle have offered him a very good deal; more than any of the to-4 will offer so we have a chance that he’ll decide to stay.
However, if he makes his decision based on the last 6 months at SJP he’ll run away…..
Bucks_mag
Dec 17, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Comment #26Partizan- Not really Beckham inspried Real to winning the title under Capello as well as being a permanent fixture in their team for the first three years. McManaman also won the Champions League twice, scoring in the final of 1999 and the league twice. The most successful British player abroad