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Keegan wants new contract for Owen
WITH fresh talk resurfacing surrounding
Michael Owen's future,
Newcastle United manager
Kevin Keegan last night urged
his bosses to act now and agree a
new contract with the England
striker.
Owen joined up with Fabio
Capello's squad last night ahead
of Wednesday evening's friendly
in Paris fresh from scoring in
back-to-back games for the Magpies.
The £16m man's goals against
Birmingham City and Fulham
inside six days have helped secure
four vital points in Newcastle's
attempts to climb away from
the relegation zone.
And, although Premier League
status has not been secured for
another season just yet, there is
a new wave of confidence around
St James' Park that such a luxury
can be claimed in the coming
weeks.
Newcastle are six points clear
of third from bottom Bolton with
seven matches remaining and,
on the back of Saturday's success
over Fulham, Keegan has urged
chairman Chris Mort and owner
Mike Ashley to agree fresh terms
with Owen.
"I've already started to say to
the club that we should be talking
to Michael now, not next
week, not next month. But now,"
said Keegan. "I've never asked
Michael whether he wants to
stay. But I'm hoping the answer
will be yes. If not, we've got another
year of him next season
and that's the very least we'll get.
"The time to talk with him is
now and that's what I'll be urging
the chairman to do. There hasn't
been a reaction yet because I only
mentioned it last week because I
could see this coming.
"Michael's not going to stop
scoring goals, he's not going to
stop catching the eye and
Michael is going to be wanted by
other clubs. But at the moment
he's here and it's just something
that's come up now."
Given the persistent injury
problems that Owen has had to
emerge from since he signed
from Real Madrid in August 2005,
the cynics will point to his lack of
appearances as a reason for not
handing him fresh terms.
He is reputedly taking home
£120,000-a-week, a figure that
does not look good when he has
made only 30 league starts in his
two-and-a-half-years on Tyneside.
Nevertheless, despite his sporadic
appearances, Owen has still
averaged almost a goal every
other game, with 13 goals from
his Premier League outings from
the first whistle.
His 83nd minute header
against Fulham means he is now
the club's top-scorer with eight
this season and boasts a run of
four in his last seven appearances.
Whether that is good enough
to secure a starting berth against
France for his country on
Wednesday remains to be seen.
Keegan, though, believes his
ratio illustrates why Newcastle
should bend over backwards to
keep him in the North-East.
"Why is it an urgent issue? Because
I don't think that whatever
finances are there, we'll go out
and get a player that's any better
than Michael Owen," said Keegan,
knowing his skipper should
also have scored a header in the
first half but was denied by Fulham's
Kasey Keller from close
range.
"That's the reason I think we
should keep him and as long as
he doesn't get injured again, the
Newcastle fans will see a player
who'll grow into one of the greats
here.
"I don't see why we should be
looking all over the world for foreign
players, and try to teach
them how to play in the Premier
League, when we've got one who
knows his way around and whose
goalscoring record is tremendous."
Keegan had no hesitation in
appointing Owen as his captain
when he took over the reins in
mid-January.
And, 14 games after returning
to the side after his latest injury,
Owen's value to the Newcastle
cause has not been under-estimated
by his manager.
Keegan said: "I remember Johann
Cruyff saying to me once,
when I'm playing well, Johann
Neeskens is the soldier and I'm
the general.
"But if ever I have a day when
I feel I'm not playing well, I say
to Johann you be the general and
I'll be the soldier'.
"Michael has been both a general
and a soldier for us since I've
been here.
"I made him captain. I think
that was absolutely the right decision.
"He leads by example. His
work rate is fantastic. He's fighting
his way back from a bad injury,
but doing it all in the right
way, working hard and training
extra and I think you're seeing
him now absolutely at his peak
after his injury."
Obafemi Martins, Owen's
deputy on so many occasions,
has had talks over a new contract
but he is reluctant to sign in until
he feels he is part of Keegan's
plans.
10:51am Monday 24th March 2008
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