Owen completes Newcastle move |
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Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:05
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NEWCASTLE, England - After weeks of speculation, ace England striker Michael Owen finally gave the nod to Graeme Souness' Newcastle choosing them over his former team Liverpool for a Magpie record fee of £15 million.
The striker who was with Spanish giants Real Madrid had expressed a wish to return to the Premiership after just 12 months in Madrid. It is generally felt that the signing of Brazilian sensation Robinho by Real put paid to any hopes Owen had about getting regular starts with the first team. And since this happens to be a World Cup year, Owen and England coach Sven Goran Eriksson felt that he would not benefit from warming the bench at the Bernabeu.
"Newcastle fans love center forwards and Michael is a fantastic goalscorer. He's someone we would love to build the team around and we hope he can help us bring success to the club," said Freddy Shepherd, the chairman of the Magpies. He added that getting Owen to St. James' Park would " rank alongside the signing of Alan Shearer as my proudest moment at Newcastle United."
Newcastle have not had such a good beginning to their Premiership his season with losses to champions Chelsea and Manchester United. Their strike force looked spent with former England captain Alan Shearer the lone warrior upfront. The signing of Albert Luque is expected to bolster their attack and the addition of Owen is sure to give them a big boost. "I've had several phone conversations with him, and spent a fortune calling Madrid, but I don't have to tell him what passionate supporters we have," said Alan Shearer, who played a vital role in convincing Owen to move to St James' Park.
Real Madrid director of football Arrigo Sacchi categorically stated that he was sorry to see Owen leave, but added that he understood the striker's reasons. "We've certainly lost something with his departure, but you can't keep a player who wants to leave and especially one has got such clear reasons. He is one of the best strikers in the world and here we have Robinho, Guti, Raul and Ronaldo and he wasn't going to play much," Sacchi said.
Owen is at the fourth position on the all-time England scorers list with 32 goals and will look to add to his tally as England seek to mount a challenge to Brazil's supremacy.
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