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Kinnear sweats on Owen verdict
Newcastle United, 09:38, December 16, 2008 ,
Michael Owen is set to tell boss Joe Kinnear whether he will accept Newcastle's new deal offer with a reported £25,000-a-week pay cut.
The 29-year-old, who alerted England coach Fabio Capello with his ninth goal of the season at Portsmouth on Sunday, is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs as he approaches the end of his current Magpies deal which expires next summer. However Newcastle have moved to try and keep him at St James' Park with a new contract offer which will see him take a big cut on his current £110,000-a-week terms if he accepts.
Kinnear has stressed that he will do all he can to ensure Owen stays put, but if he fails to agree to the new deal then Magpies owner Mike Ashley will no doubt look to try and recoup some of the club record £16million paid to Real Madrid for his services in 2005 during the January transfer window to avoid losing him on a Bosman free transfer in the summer.
If Owen did leave next month it would be a huge blow to Kinnear as the striker's four goals in the past five games have helped drag Newcastle out of the relegation places following an unbeaten run stretching to five matches.
Ironically an Owen departure in January could coincide with a return to the England squad after Capello admitted he has been impressed with the player's recent fitness and form in front of goal.
Capello said: "I know he played very well and scored a goal. I always said the door of the national team is open for all the players. I will check him in January and after that I will decide if he is ready, if he is OK for the next squad.
"I have to choose depending on my idea of the team. But the most important thing is that he will be fit. The last three times he was not fit."