Michael Owen is on the verge of quitting Newcastle United at the end of the season as the club continues to be scarred by the prospect of relegation from the Premier League. Owen is arguably the most high profile player contracted to Newcastle and despite Alan Shearer dismissing the speculation it could well be the case that Owen will start to look for a move elsewhere in order to save his football career and chances of playing for England.
Owen is not a player carrying an ego, everyone on the game, professionals and pundits alike, would admit that Owen is one of the most decent individuals around and his apparent decision is just a case of him doing something he has to do.
It should not attract him negative press or a bad reception from Newcastle fans. All he is doing is trying to adapt to the situation Newcastle find themselves in and if they do go down then a bid of a high amount will have to be taken to help Newcastle cope with the financial impact Championship football would have.
Speaking today, Shearer said: “Michael is a big name player and sometimes you attract headlines. I’m 100% sure he will be playing in the Premier League. Whether that is here or anywhere else, that’s for a discussion at the end of the season.”
Although Mark Viduka and Joey Barton have already publicly promised their commitment to the club you really would not blame Owen from trying to get a move. The days where he was tearing apart defences and ripping into the heart of the Argentina national side now seem long dead.
The point is that Owen still has it in him to play at the highest level and if Newcastle do manage to stay up then there is no doubt that he will stay at the Toon and try to help them consolidate to make sure the current situation never happens again.
He needs to be playing in the top flight and he needs to be playing at a club that has big ambitions both domestically and on the European scene. Many would have seen Owen as an England regular for years to come but injury and circumstance has seen him lose his place that he must be itching to get back.
If he has to leave Newcastle then he is not being selfish and leaving the club high and dry. He is just making the most logical decision at his disposal and you can’t really blame him for not wanting to stay at a club that would mean him simply take another step backwards in his career.
He still has it in him to score over 20 Premier League goals each season but we have just been kept from seeing it for such a long time that his career is starting to suffer. However, while he is wearing the black and white shirt of Newcastle it is pretty obvious that he will sweat blood for the team, but how much longer he is there for is unknown.
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