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£10m for Owen (compensation)


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According to the le ronnie gill.

 

Freddy’s joy at Owen deal

 

Jun 25 2007

 

by Alan oliver, Evening Chronicle

 

 

FREDDY SHEPHERD will decide today whether to stay on as chairman of Newcastle United – fresh from securing a £10m deal with FIFA and the FA over the Michael Owen affair.

 

Shepherd’s battle for what he considered a just claim for compensation for Owen, after the United striker was injured playing for England in the World Cup 12 months ago, has been overtaken by events at St James’ Park and pushed into the background.

 

But even though he has been ill, the United chairman has continued that fight, and United are happy at the outcome.

 

Shepherd and his fellow directors were locked in talks with new billionaire owner Mike Ashley’s team at St James’ Park today, and not available for comment.

 

But a United source told me: “We have finally reached a comprise with FIFA and the FA regarding Michael Owen, and when you take into account the fact that his wages have been paid in full for two years and the compensation we have received, it’ll amount to around £10m.

 

 

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“And let’s just say we are happy, and it has been well worth Freddy Shepherd’s fight.”

 

The Chronicle revealed on Saturday that Ashley had decided to make changes in the United boardroom and that he intended to bring in his own people.

 

We also said that “chairman Freddy Shepherd is expected to stay” and this is what Mike Ashley wants.

 

But directors Douglas Hall, Allison Antonopoulos, Bruce Shepherd and Timothy Revill will all part company with the club after today’s board meeting at St James’ with Ashley’s representatives.

 

Ashley has already told Freddy Shepherd he wants him to stay, but I understand before making a decision the man who has been chairman since December 1997 wants to hear what the new owner’s men have to say.

 

However, unless something unexpected comes up, I expect Shepherd to agree to continue as chairman for the immediate future.

 

There has been a lot of talk about Ashley bringing in a “troubleshooter” to oversee matters at St James’, but my information is that he will be an accountant or lawyer and not a football person – and that’s why Shepherd has been asked to stay on.

 

Although the shareholders who have sold out to Ashley will not be paid until Friday, everything is done and dusted and it is now all systems go.

 

United fans, who have seen Manchester City taken over with the promise of a £50m transfer kitty from Thai billionaire Thaksin Shinawtra, have got to be happy that things are starting to happen at St James’.

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United worry over strikers

 

by Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle

 

ARSENAL’S reluctance to take Nicolas Anelka back to the Emirates Stadium has set the alarm bells ringing at Newcastle United.

 

For United are fully aware that Arsene Wenger is a big admirer of both their strikers, Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins, who both have get-out clauses at St James’ Park.

 

Arsenal have other targets as they try the impossible task of replacing the magnificent Thierry Henry after the French striker’s £16m move to Barcelona, including a player former boss Glenn Roeder would love to have brought to United – Holland’s Under-21 international Ryan Babel.

 

I am surprised that Wenger would even think about re-signing Anelka, because bringing back a former player is something he has never done.

 

In any case, certain key members of the Arsenal board have made it clear they do not want the player dubbed “The Incredible Sulk“ back in north London.

 

Certainly United have got to feel a trifle uncomfortable about it all, but they tell me that both Owen and Martins insisted on their get-out clauses before they signed, and that this is common practice among leading players these days.

 

Owen has been given a couple of days grace when the rest of the United players report back a week today, and the feeling at St James’ Park is that if nothing happens before the England striker is back in training a week on Friday then he will start off the season wearing a black-and-white shirt.

 

They also tell me that talk over the weekend of United trying to do a deal with Liverpool, which would see Owen return to Anfield and Craig Bellamy back at St James’ Park with John Arne Riise, is not correct.

 

Nor, they tell me, unless Owen or Martins left, are they interested in Alan Smith, who I understand has turned down the chance to go to Middlesbrough from Manchester United.

 

And talk that United are vying with Portsmouth for former West Ham striker Fredi Kanoute is wide of the mark.

 

In his days in the Premiership, Kanoute never had a good game whenever he strayed north of Watford gap, and he needs to stay in Seville where he relishes the sun in his back.

 

But United will finally complete the £3m signing of Czech international centre-half David Rozehnal from Paris St Germain on Wednesday.

 

Classic Oliver stuff...

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if true then fair play to fred. that will have paid off owens wages and then some for the duration of his injury.

 

alex, agree entirely with your statement. if you take martins extreme pace out of the equation anelka beats him on every other attribute. trouble is of course anelkas at the wrong end of the 20's and how will he integrate into our team?

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if true then fair play to fred. that will have paid off owens wages and then some for the duration of his injury.

 

alex, agree entirely with your statement. if you take martins extreme pace out of the equation anelka beats him on every other attribute. trouble is of course anelkas at the wrong end of the 20's and how will he integrate into our team?

 

Insert joke about Martins' age here.

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If they got Martins and we got Anelka I'd be over the moon.

 

[Martins9shirt]Speak for yourself[/martins9shirt] :huh:

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If they got Martins and we got Anelka I'd be over the moon.

 

[Martins9shirt]Speak for yourself[/martins9shirt] :date:

I was :huh:

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how many "they tell me"s are there in that article? classic anal

2

 

I'm here to help :huh:

 

why he needs to spell out that his sources told him anything is beyond me frankly.

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It's a pretty big deal that Freddy got money out of the FA for this.

 

It's not on the scale of the Bosman ruling which he originally predicted it would be, but it may set a precedent for all players injured on International duty.

 

We'd have made a fortune out of the Welsh FA during Bellamy's time at the club.

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But a United source told me: “We have finally reached a comprise with FIFA and the FA regarding Michael Owen, and when you take into account the fact that his wages have been paid in full for two years and the compensation we have received, it’ll amount to around £10m.

 

 

How much is Owen on ? £120k/week ? That = £ £6,240,000 wages and £3,760,000 compensation. Not a great deal in compo, but better than nowt.

 

Then there is the insurance (that's the extra insurance which Shepherd told us about) NUFC will have received on top of the Fifa and F.A. payments.

 

All in all, I suppose NUFC will have received quite a few quid throughout the period.

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