Re: Will Michael Owen Stay At Newcastle Utd?
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:33 pm
I'll be a bit argumentative with what Super Randy wrote in that Benitez did want him back at Liverpool before he went to Newcastle.
The day before that transfer window closed Benitez and Rick Parry met with Owen and his agent and they made it clear they wanted him back. It maybe true in that the board wanted it to happen more than Benitez but he did court the player although he never went public about it.
Liverpool also never agreed a fee with Real Madrid. Real wanted ?18m so they could buy Sergio Ramos and never wavrered off that fee and as SR11 said Liverpool were never going to pay that for a player that they lost for ?10m-?12m the summer before.
What Liverpool wanted at the time was for Owen to force through a transfer to Liverpool by both publicly and privately telling Madrid that the only club he'd leave them for would be Liverpool thereby politely telling Newcastle that they had no chance and thus getting them out of the running. He never did that and Newcastle kept up the chase and in fairness to Freddie Sheppard he played a blinder over the whole saga.
Why he never went public about only going to Liverpool is a matter of debate. My personal opinion was that he was influenced too much by his agent and his agent made more money by getting Owen to Newcastle than he would of if he went back to Liverpool but only Owen knows if that is the truth or not.
My opinion was that if he really wanted to go back to Liverpool then he could of. Why he didn't depends on your viewpoint.
The day before that transfer window closed Benitez and Rick Parry met with Owen and his agent and they made it clear they wanted him back. It maybe true in that the board wanted it to happen more than Benitez but he did court the player although he never went public about it.
Liverpool also never agreed a fee with Real Madrid. Real wanted ?18m so they could buy Sergio Ramos and never wavrered off that fee and as SR11 said Liverpool were never going to pay that for a player that they lost for ?10m-?12m the summer before.
What Liverpool wanted at the time was for Owen to force through a transfer to Liverpool by both publicly and privately telling Madrid that the only club he'd leave them for would be Liverpool thereby politely telling Newcastle that they had no chance and thus getting them out of the running. He never did that and Newcastle kept up the chase and in fairness to Freddie Sheppard he played a blinder over the whole saga.
Why he never went public about only going to Liverpool is a matter of debate. My personal opinion was that he was influenced too much by his agent and his agent made more money by getting Owen to Newcastle than he would of if he went back to Liverpool but only Owen knows if that is the truth or not.
My opinion was that if he really wanted to go back to Liverpool then he could of. Why he didn't depends on your viewpoint.