Owen intends to stay
Times Online
Newcastle United are increasingly confident that Michael Owen will remain at the club next season, a development that will provide early validation for the new regime at St James' Park. While Manchester United and Liverpool harbour an interest in the England striker, other targets are being pursued more vigorously, allowing his present employers to plan for life with their record signing in tow. That news will be welcomed by Sam Allardyce, the manager, as well as by supporters, whose delight at the prospect of Mike Ashley's 133 million pound takeover has been tempered by speculation surrounding Owen and Obafemi Martins, his teammate. Both forwards have release clauses in their respective contracts, but it is thought unlikely that Owen's will be triggered this summer. United's pursuit of the 27-year-old stretches back to the World Cup finals, when Owen suffered a serious knee injury. Liverpool rivalled Newcastle for his signature in the summer of 2005, but were not prepared to match the 16 million pound fee accepted by Real Madrid and it is understood that Rafael BenÍtez, the manager at Anfield, is ambivalent towards their former player. Public discussion regarding the existence of a 9 million pound get-out clause infuriated Freddy Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman, who called upon Owen to commit himself to the club. That declaration has not followed, although Owen has never expressed any desire to leave Tyneside and used a recent column in The Times to confirm that he had enjoyed “a good chat” with Allardyce. Glenn Roeder's replacement intends to transform the culture at Newcastle into a replica of the system he employed at Bolton Wanderers where emphasis was placed on psychology, sports science and innovations in diet and fitness and Owen has been impressed by his vision. In Mark Viduka and Joey Barton, there have already been two quality additions to the squad. Owen's continued presence would also be a coup for Ashley, the billionaire businessman, who has assumed control at Newcastle. Ashley's ambitions are high and that task will be assisted by Owen's marketing potential and talent for scoring goals. Since joining Newcastle two years ago, he has been limited to 13 starts for the club because of injury and has acknowledged that he has yet to provide value for money. Martins could leave for 13 million pounds, 3 million pounds more than Roeder paid Inter Milan ten months ago. Juventus have been linked with the 22-year-old, who scored 17 goals in his first season at Newcastle, and Arsčne Wenger's admiration for the Nigeria forward may be hardened if Thierry Henry leaves Arsenal; Martins this week spoke of his desire to stay on Tyneside. If it is not dismantled, Allardyce's striking quartet of Owen, Martins, Viduka and Shola Ameobi should be formidable and he has taken steps to bolster the rearguard. Having missed out on Tal Ben Haim, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer, he is expected to sign David Rozehnal, 26, the Paris St-Germain defender, for about 3 million pounds and is also monitoring Sami Hyypia, of Liverpool, and Habib Beye, of Marseilles.
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