Owen agrees four-year deal with Newcastle
Newcastle today pulled off a sensational transfer coup when they
finally managed to persuade England striker Michael Owen to keep
his World Cup dreams alive on Tyneside.
In a move which dashed the hopes of former club Liverpool of
securing the 25-year-old's return, the Magpies completed their club
record swoop - believed to be in the region of £17million - for the
Real Madrid star to hand manager Graeme Souness a massive
boost.
Owen will undergo a medical on Tyneside this afternoon before
sealing his switch to St James' Park in a move which represents a
coup for Newcastle on a par with their capture of skipper Alan
Shearer back in July 1996.
'Bringing Michael to St James' Park will rank alongside the signing
of Alan Shearer as my proudest moment at Newcastle United,'
chairman Freddy Shepherd told the club's official website.
'Newcastle fans love centre-forwards and Michael is a fantastic
goalscorer. He's someone we would love to build the team around and
we hope he can help us bring success to the club.'
Owen's decision comes less than 24 hours after he travelled to the
north-east to meet Souness, chairman Freddy Shepherd and former
international team-mate Shearer to discuss his future following
talks with the Anfield club.
It represents a major change of heart from the player, who has
always insisted a return to Merseyside was his preferred option
despite indicating he would be prepared to join the Magpies on loan
for a season.
But Real's need to raise cash to help fund their bid for Sevilla
defender Sergio Ramos and Newcastle's insistence on a permanent
deal meant that was not an option.
Reports today suggested Owen was returning to Liverpool for further
talks amid speculation his former club had finally made a formal
approach, although with the Reds unwilling to spend significantly
more than the £8million for which they sold him to the Spanish
aristocrats last summer, Newcastle had gained the upper hand.
There have even been hints the striker could bide his time at the
Bernabeu Stadium until the January window with the latest transfer
deadline looming tomorrow night.
Owen's future has been the subject of intense speculation for
months, and that grew on Sunday when he did not even make the bench
for his side's opening La Liga fixture in Cadiz.
Newcastle's latest coup is reminiscent of their £15million capture
of Shearer back in July 1996, and a similar return on their
investment this time around would be welcome with Souness' side
having collected just one point from their first four Barclays
Premiership games this season without scoring a single goal.
For Owen too, the move will give him regular first-team football as
the World Cup finals approach, and that will be of immense comfort
to England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
