Where’s Owen Goin’? Is he leaving?
With teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Liverpool being linked with Newcastle United striker Michael Owen the world is virtually his oyster.
Rated at £6m, and an impressive 28 goals from 50 starts for Newcastle since joining from Real Madrid in 2005, he is one of the most sought after players in the Premier League. So with talks yet to begin to extend his current contract at St James’s Park, which runs out at end of the season, it is easy to see why there is so much speculation surrounding his future.
So what are the options for Michael Owen? At the age of 29 any move would have to be career defining. That means Champions League football is a must, as well as the potential of becoming a Premiership League winner.
With Roman Abramovich’s billions at their disposal Chelsea will always be an attractive proposition. They can virtually offer Owen the guarantee of Champions League football and will always be in the running as Premiership contenders. However, with competition for places rife at Stamford Bridge, Owen may not be guaranteed first team football. This is a must if Owen is to get a recall to the England national side.
Manchester City’s desire to become the biggest club in the world means that they’re going to be competing for the best players. At City he would be assured of first team football, and would form a formidable partnership with Brazilian star Robinho. That said, they are yet to see the fruits of their spending and have made a poor start to the season. So if immediate success is what Owen is looking for then Manchester City is not the club for him.
With all the rumours surrounding Owen, it is unsurprising that the self confessed “Family Man” has been linked back to the club where it all began, Liverpool. Back with Gerrard and Co, he and Torres would be feared by defenders across the Premiership.
Aston Villa have admitted their interest in the striker and have stated they would pay whatever it takes to make Michael Owen a Villa player. Villa are the only side that look like they could break into the elusive top four and would also give Owen the chance to work along side manager Martin O’Neill.
The least attractive option for Owen would be a move to Tottenham. It is thought that Harry Redknapp wants the striker to bolster his striking options at Tottenham but without Champions League opportunities, North London looks unlikely for Owen.
What can be said is that Newcastle will be reluctant to let him go and given the faith they have shown him through numerous injuries, Owen will feel some level of allegiance to the club. However football is a short career and if wants to be a success then now is decision time. My bet is that if he doesn’t leave now he may be leaving it too late.
By Rachael Warham.
