Owen To Newcastle...idiot

[Intriago33]

Rumour has it there could be a £12m release clause in Owen's contract.

[Mac 10 †]

Real Madrid forward Michael Owen will be unveiled as a Newcastle player at 1200 BST on Wednesday.
 
The England striker, who passed his medical on Tuesday, has agreed a four-year deal and is believed to have cost the Magpies a club record £17m.

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd said: "Bringing Michael here will rank alongside the signing of Alan Shearer as my proudest moment at Newcastle."

Liverpool had wanted to re-sign Owen but baulked at Real's asking price.

And once Owen completes his move to Newcastle, his arrival at St James' Park will eclipse the money the club spent in signing Alan Shearer for £15m from Blackburn in July 1996.

The details of his contract with the Magpies are not known but reports suggest there may be various get-out clauses depending on the team's performance.

"It will be a great achievement if we sign Michael," Newcastle manager Graeme Souness told the club's official website.

"In football, the hardest thing to get is someone who puts the ball in the back of the net and Michael is the best at doing that for England.

"I'd say it's the biggest transfer I've been involved in as a manager of any football club."

Owen was left out of Madrid's squad for the first game of their season after falling behind Ronaldo, Raul, Julio Baptista and Robinho in the pecking order at the Bernabeu.

"The transfer is official," said Real Madrid director of football Arrigo Sacchi. "We had an agreement with them and today it has been sealed.

"He is already a player for the English club. Real Madrid have been happy with him and we thank him for all that he has done here. We wish the best for the future.

"He asked to leave because we are in World Cup year and here he was not going to play regularly. We didn't want to let him go and only when a decent offer arrived did we consider selling. We wish him luck and hope all goes well.

"It's clear we have lost something but you can't keep a player when he wants to go. He is one of the best strikers in the world but here we have Robinho, Guti, Raul, Ronaldo and he wasn't going to play much."

Owen travelled to England and met Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez for two-and-a-half hours on Monday before going to Northumberland.

There he met Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd and his son, manager Graeme Souness, captain Alan Shearer and coach Dean Saunders.

Owen had said he would only play for the Magpies on a one-year loan deal but he has been convinced to sign permanently in a coup for the club.

The player is England's fourth all-time highest goalscorer with 32 goals and, even though he is suspended for the World Cup qualifier against Wales on Saturday, he should return to play Northern Ireland on 7 September.

Newcastle's fans have been stunned by the striker choosing their club over Liverpool and Ian Gilmour, of the Newcastle United Supporters' Association, said: "I am totally speechless. I cannot believe it, if I am honest with you.

"I thought Owen was going to Liverpool and I am very surprised that he has come to St James' Park."

Owen will bring a proven goalscoring pedigree to a team who have yet to score a Premiership goal so far this season.

He was named European Footballer of the Year in December 2001 and, after 158 goals in 297 games for Liverpool, left for Real Madrid where he scored 16 goals as a bit part player.

Real defender Ivan Helguera said: "He was a great team mate, a very good person and an excellent player.

"It's a shame that he's gone because we thought a lot of him. He did a lot for Real Madrid despite the fact that he was given few minutes on the pitch and last season he made a big difference to the team."

[Danté Williams]

He is not talented enough to play in Real Madrid. He's chosen wisely.

[ωεεźγ ғ]

i like this move personally i'll get to see him play more often in the league i watch the most

[Denial! Is Actively Joinin The Revolution]

yeah this is good for newcastle and owen's future

[Ali Tha Great]

its not a smart move 2 go 2 newcastle but its better than real madrid,