JUNE 5
Owen
wants Reds stay for life
Sky Sports
Liverpool striker Michael Owen has admitted he would happily
stay at Anfield for the rest of his career if the club are
consistently challenging for honours.
The England international is considering his future as he has just
one-year left on his current contract.
Liverpool are keen to tie down the prolific hit-man on a long-term
deal as they look to build the team around Owen and team-mate
Steven Gerrard.
Owen is anxiously awaiting to see who will take over from Gerard
Houllier at Liverpool and he is hoping that the club can challenge
the top clubs on all fronts from now on.
"I still have one year remaining on my contract. So it is not the
good moment to talk about my departure," Owen told L'Equipe.
"It was important we got Champions League qualification. The most
important thing for me is to continue to win as many trophies as
possible, in a great club, and Liverpool can be this one.
"In a perfect world, it would be the greatest team in the world,
and I would stay my entire career. I am dreaming about that.
"Now we have to see if Liverpool will quickly become a great club
again. A footballer's career is short and it is important to be at
the right place at the right time."
MAY 26
I didn't force
Houllier out, insists Owen
By Ian Doyle - Daily Post Staff
Michael Owen has insisted he played no part in Gerard
Houllier's departure from Anfield as he revealed he will wait to
discover the identity of the Frenchman's successor before signing
any new contract.
Owen has been the subject of a whispering campaign that he helped
oust Houllier from his job with the ultimatum he would not
contemplate a new deal at the club unless the Frenchman was
sacked.
The England international has refuted the allegation, but admitted
he still needs to be reassured of the club's ambitions before
putting pen to paper on a new deal.
"The board are quite capable of picking the next manager,"
insisted Owen. "I don't want to get involved and never was I
involved. There were a few rumours that it was that way.
"The manager (Houllier) had nothing to do with my contract
situation. There were never any meetings like that. I'm not that
type of person.
"I know it is being said but I'm not sure it is worth responding
to."
Of his time playing under Houllier's tutelage, Owen added: "We had
six great years. I haven't got a bad word to say about him.
"I don't really want to say whether it is right or wrong but you
always get that sad feeling, that sick feeling in your stomach,
when you see someone you know going through a bad experience.
"I don't think you could say I let him down in the six years I
played for him."
Livepool chief executive Rick Parry remains confident the club
can agree a new deal with Owen before the start of Euro 2004 on
June 12.
But the player yesterday revealed he is content to "sit tight" and
find out in which direction the Anfield board are prepared to take
the club before considering a fresh contract.
What is now crucial is not only where Liverpool turn in appointing
a manager, but also in the investment which they plough into a
squad which could only finish fourth last season.
"The chairman is saying it may take a while to appoint a new
manager so I will just sit tight," said Owen, whose current deal
expires in 12 months. "I can't put a percentage chance on me
signing a new contract.
"But I am not trying to strangle every last penny out of everyone.
I just want to play in the best team.
"I am as loyal a person as anyone could wish to meet. Something
will be sorted in the summer and as I've said before, I won't
leave on a Bosman.
"Hopefully we can improve because we do need to, to make that step
and be one of the best."
He added: "I am intrigued to see who the manager is, but also the
whole package. I would love to see improvement in the squad and I
would love to see a good manager come in.
"Obviously the new stadium is being built, which is right for the
club. It sounds like you are holding everyone to ransom but I am
not. I just want to be playing in a top team.
"We got to second in the league a few years ago. It obviously
needs improvement because we were fourth this season and 30 points
behind Arsenal.
"It's a massive gap. I do think the gap will close naturally but
to close it with us getting level, we need to improve.
"Who knows what changes the new manager will bring?"
MAY 16
Owen: I could
leave Anfield in the summer
Kop Talk
Liverpool striker Michael Owen has admitted that he could leave
Anfield in the summer.
Owen wants guarantees from the Anfield chiefs that proven talent
will be signed in the summer so that he has a real chance of
collecting some serious silverware. If Liverpool fail to
strengthen to his satisfaction he will almost certainly leave. If
they do bring in some better players, it is likely that he will
sign a new 2 year extension.
Insider sources claim that the player will NOT consider a move to
any Italian clubs despite strong interest from Inter Milan and he
has publicly admitted that he doesn't favour a move to another
English club. Insider sources also insist that he would only
consider a move to Spain.
"We have had just one meeting about my contract and even then we
only discussed the future direction of the club," said Owen. "The
contract in terms of length and amount of money has not been
mentioned yet because they are the least important details for me
and if it means waiting until after the European Championships
then so be it.
"I've signed four or five contracts for Liverpool and my form has
never dipped while the negotiations have been going on. When I
walk on to a football pitch, nothing else matters. I am so focused
on the match, I could even forget my girlfriend's name!
"If it happens and I do move, it will be a massive challenge. But
I cannot see myself turning out for another club in this country.
"Fatherhood hasn't changed my outlook on playing abroad. If it
means my daughter Gemma having to grow up living abroad and
learning a new language, then fine.
"I don't see it as negative. But until my contract with Liverpool
is sorted out one way or another, nothing is going to happen as
far as moving is concerned.
"I have no reason to move - other than to be successful. If I do
go, it will be to win things - nothing else."
MAY 10
Owen: I won't walk out on Liverpool
Sporting Life
Michael Owen has promised Liverpool he will not leave them in
the lurch by sitting out his contract and leaving Anfield on a
Bosman-style free transfer at the end of next season.
The England striker has struggled to find his best form during
this campaign and is reportedly a summer transfer target of both
Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But Owen has moved to quash talk of an Anfield exit.
"We will sort something out amicably next summer," he said.
"I won't just up and leave on a Bosman. I have the rest of this
season and all next still left on my existing contract but talks
have already started on a new one.
"Inevitably, they are complex though and don't get done in just a
week. But I certainly see myself at Liverpool next year. Why not?
"I'm not in football for the money. And that is largely what it
means when players sit out their contracts and go for free. I've
got a reasonable collection of trophies already, but I want more
and that's the main thing in my mind.
"I read that the manager (Gerard Houllier) says he expects me to
go abroad at some stage and I certainly would not rule anything
out. I am very ambitious and want to play at the highest level but
there is now reason that can't be with Liverpool."
Owen's pledge came on the day he signed a new kit and boots
sponsorship deal with manufacturers Umbro, reportedly worth
£15million.
But the sponsors, who admit it is a record deal, will get their
money's worth as the new agreement lasts for 15 years - at the end
of which Owen will be 39.
He said: "I hope to be playing a lot more golf and taking things
easy by then, but I'm happy to commit myself to such a long term
as these are people I've been associated with since the age of 15
and you always want to work with people you trust."
Owen's new deal starts in July, by which time he hopes to be
spearheading the England attack in the later stages of the Euro
2004 Championship in Portugal.
England open the competition with the probably toughest of all
tasks against France on June 13 but Owen insists: "We are one of
half-a-dozen select sides who can win it.
"France are the favourites but I'm not backing them. And we are
certainly not scared of them. We know we are a very good side
which has probably been a bit young in previous championships but
I feel we can beat anyone on our day now."
Owen admits, though, that he did not do himself justice in the
last major international event, the 2002 World Cup in the Far East
where he was hampered by groin and hamstring injuries.
He said: "I had the problems in the previous season and never
really rehabilitated but since that quarter final game with Brazil
I think I've missed only one or two England games through injury
and hopefully they are all behind me now.
"There have been a few more this season. I had a shin problem and
then hamstring
trouble after I tried to close down Ashley
Cole in the game against Arsenal in October and I had to miss some
chunks of the season.
"But I still scored 18 goals in about 36 games although I wouldn't
compare it with my best seasons.
"And it certainly hasn't been a great season for Liverpool. We
know that and the manager knows that. We can still qualify for the
Champions League in fourth spot. In fact, I guess we are
favourites now, but a club like Liverpool can't settle for fourth
place."
Owen insists that some setbacks off the field have had nothing to
do with his own form this season.
His girlfriend and mother of their daughter Gemma, was badly
injured in a horse-riding accident and his sister Karen was
threatened by thugs who stole her car.
There were also the stories of Owen's huge gambling sprees and his
links with jockey Kieron Fallon who is still under investigation
from the Jockey Club.
But Owen said: "There is nothing illegal about it and I can't see
where the harm is. My family are all into racing and I'm part of
it. Horses are something I've always loved and we have some of our
own.
"Obviously what happened to my girlfriend and my sister was a
worry but Louise is fine now and making very good progress. I
don't lose much sleep over what has happened in the past and I
have never taken personal problems onto the pitch."
APRIL 28
Owen
doubt hang over Anfield
Sporting Life
Gerard Houllier has contingency plans if Liverpool do lose
Michael Owen. He'd be mad not to as negotiations over the England
strikers contract drag on.
Liverpool have had to endure a frustrating time as they seek to
tie down Owen to a new deal, resorting to statements saying "talks
are going well" and "we believe Michael will sign a new contract".
But Liverpool fans know the ongoing Owen situation has hardly
helped their cause this season, or the striker's own performances.
Owen's agent opened preliminary talks with Liverpool recently, and
the player has always insisted he would not leave for another
English club.
The striker holds all the cards in the negotiations, his contract
has a year and a bit to run, he can talk to other clubs in January
and leave for nothing next summer.
Owen and his people look to be playing for time, to see where
Liverpool are next season, whether Houllier will be around.
One top agent, who declined to be named, said of the situation:
"It is in Owen's interests to hang on and to consider the options,
he can't really lose and Liverpool can do little to change the
course of things."
Seeing Owen linked with Arsenal again, and with Steven Gerrard at
the same time also linked with the Gunners and Manchester United,
just muddies the water.
Houllier admits: "I would be very upset if Michael left, of course
I would. The best is yet to come from him."
Liverpool have declined officially to dignify the speculation with
even a hands-off warning, and boss Houllier said: "When I saw
those stories I just laughed, they are just not true, just a laugh
really.
"But it is what I expect to see, it is the sort of thing we have
to put up with.
"On the Owen situation, we have had preliminary talks and they
went well. My position is the same as it has been all season. I
think Michael will stay with us. Whether I am proved to be right
or wrong only time will tell."
APRIL 22
Liverpool
press Owen to sign
By Dominic Fifield - The Guardian
Liverpool are to intensify contract talks with Michael Owen in
an attempt to tie the England striker down to a new long-term deal
before Euro 2004.
The club's chief executive Rick Parry met Owen's representative
Tony Stephens, of the SFX group, for preliminary discussions last
week with Liverpool desperate to settle the 24-year-old's future
ahead of his departure for Portugal. Further talks have been
scheduled for next month.
Liverpool are keenly aware that the striker's current
£60,000-a-week contract is due to expire next summer and he will
be able to negotiate with foreign clubs over a potential
Bosman-style free transfer to the continent from January. To that
end, Parry and the club's board would prefer to see a deal -
preferably an extension to the forward's current contract -
concluded quickly.
Yet those aspirations could be frustrated. SFX is believed to be
in no great hurry to settle before the European Championship,
conscious as they are that the summer tournament could act as a
shop window. Owen's reputation, and therefore any potential salary
at either Liverpool or elsewhere, could be significantly enhanced
should he flourish with England in Portugal.
Gérard Houllier has long insisted that he believes Owen will
remain at the club for the foreseeable future, with the player
himself thought to be keen to remain on Merseyside. However, he is
seeking assurances that the club will recruit heavily this summer
to ensure they do not have to endure another season as
demoralising as the current campaign.
The France international striker Djibril Cissé will join from
Auxerre for a Liverpool record fee of £14.1m, though Owen is keen
to see further reinforcements arrive to strengthen all departments
of the team.
MARCH 16
It's time to protect Owen from himself
By Andy Gray - Liverpool Echo
Michael Owen will always stand up and be counted - for club and
country.
But sometimes players have to be protected from themselves, and in
Michael's that time may be now.
He is the type of lad who will never shy away from shouldering
responsibility - he stepped forward to take a kick in a World Cup
finals penalty shoot-out against Argentina at the age of 18 after
all - and scored by the way.
But his last two misses have proved very costly, and with a record
which now stands at 10 misses from 24 attempts maybe it's time for
him to step aside.
Of course much depends on how a particular player feels on any
given afternoon.
Michael had missed one or two chances already on Sunday and didn't
look particularly confident when he stepped up.
But if there's no-one else queueing up to take them Liverpool
should be pleased Michael was prepared to put himself forward.
Gerard Houllier can nominate a penalty-taker before the players
run out, but once you are out there the players themselves usually
decide.
Some players relish the responsibility. Others are less
comfortable.
There were few finer forwards than Ian Rush, but he rarely took
penalty-kicks. I was never comfortable myself and probably took
four or five throughout my entire career.
I don't know why that should be. Most strikers will probably tell
you that they score the majority of their goals instinctively.
When you are confronted with a dead ball in a contrived situation
it is a different type of chance altogether and some forwards do
not enjoy that kind of situation.
Sunday's miss prevented Liverpool getting back into a match they
largely bossed and while it was another disappointing result,
there were more reasons to be satisfied than there were to worry.
But for an inspired goalkeeping dis-play and some poor finishing,
Liverpool would have won at a canter.
As it is they have an immediate opportunity to make amends
tomorrow night.
The visit of Portsmouth to Anfield is a big match.
It is Liverpool's game in hand. A victory would put them right
back in the Champions League shake-up and if they play anything
like as well as they did on Sunday I would expect them to win.
But don't ask me what I expect to happen if they get another
penalty kick!
MARCH 7
Owen ready to talk
YNWA
Michael Owen will this week start talking to his representative
Tony Stephens to consider his options before meeting with
Liverpool officials.
Stephens is also expected to meet with Liverpool's Chief Executive
Rick Parry before the end of the month.
Tony Stephens is the man who Owen trusts to look after his affairs
as the striker is reported to have become unhappy with the way his
current agency, SFX has handled his career. Stephens has been out
of the country all season and Owen has waited until he returned to
England to start talking about contracts.
The striker has always maintained that qualifying for the
Champions League is not the major factor for a new contract but at
24-years of age, he has said that the next contract has to be
right, as it is probably the most important one of his career.
Reports in certain media about a season-long extension can be
ignored as the length would not suit either player or club as the
constant speculation regarding his future that has happened this
season would only continue into the next one.
Owen has always maintained a dignified silence during the
speculation and any reports about the player wanting to go has not
come from his lips.
Once the meeting this week between Owen and Stephens has happened,
contract negotiations with Liverpool Football Club are expected to
follow very quickly.
FEBRUARY 29
Is Owen
ready for a change?
By Richard Gibson - PA Sport
Liverpool fans will to a man, no doubt, want Michael Owen to
extend his stay at Anfield.
But the rest of us, or those who care about the national side
enough, could be excused for wanting England’s solitary striking
goal threat to experience a change of scene.
Owen at 24 should be reaching his peak yet, as the lack of urgency
to sign a new contract with Liverpool might suggest, is stuttering
rather than surging towards that period of his career.
He looks like a player who needs a new challenge and a fresh line
of service. Any service at all would be a start.
Little of the pace which he displayed to a global audience so
staggeringly during the 1998 World Cup has been sucked out of his
legs by the recurring hamstring injuries but wear and tear will
slow him in future years.
It will be then, more than now, that he will be relying on slick
through-balls, pin-point passes and opportunities offered by
another’s vision.
They may all be available at Liverpool, the club he holds so dear,
but they have not been abundant this year and can he afford to
gamble at such a stage in his footballing life if a move abroad is
a realistic possibility.
Is he convinced that the Merseyside club are heading in the right
direction? Does he really believe Liverpool can compete for the
Premiership title? Let alone the Champions League.
There is no doubt Owen can mix it with the world’s best players,
his 24 international goals are testament to that, but if he is to
mature fully as a centre-forward, perhaps it is time for pastures
new to be sought.
The stimulation of a new environment elevated Ronaldo back to the
summit of Europe’s marksmen; Ruud van Nistelrooy’s already
impressive conversion rate increased after his move to Manchester
United and Thierry Henry was wasting time as a winger with
Juventus.
Great predators thrive on honing their instincts in the best
company and England could profit from a fresh start for Owen,
whose lack of confidence in front of goal has been tangible this
season.
He is, without doubt, England’s only forward of proven
international calibre.
Yet he does not feature in the top goalscorers in the Premiership
this season; a list which makes disturbing reading for England
boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Only Newcastle’s evergreen Alan Shearer is among that elite group
and he has long since retired from the international scene.
The rest are made up of Frenchmen like Nicolas Anelka and Louis
Saha, the Colombian Juan Pablo Angel and the Republic of Ireland’s
Robbie Keane.
Everton teenager Wayne Rooney, who has picked up more cautions
than goals in his fledgling career, is the most likely candidate
to partner the Liverpool forward and other options like Emile
Heskey, Darius Vassell and Alan Smith do not boast prolific club
scoring records.
The finals of the European championships are only four months
away, the clock is ticking fast and England need their premier
poacher to be in form.
Two goals in the past month, halting a stretch back to October, at
least show he is on the way back.
But Owen needs clarity on his career path for him to be in the
right frame of mind in Portugal this summer.
One Englishman has excelled in Madrid this year. What price
another in the near future?
FEBRUARY 21
Owen set to
sign new deal
Sky Sports
Michael Owen could be ready to seal a one-year extension to his
contract at Liverpool, with suggestions in the media that the
England striker will agree a new deal.
Owen has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this season -
reports he firmly dismissed - because of the team's shortcomings
on the pitch.
However, suggestions that the diminutive marksman will agree to
extend his stay at Anfield by a year comes as somewhat mixed news
for the club.
Already contracted until 2005, an extra year will deflect talk
that Owen will leave imminently, but the length of the deal will
also lead to suggestions that the striker does not necessarily see
his long-term future at the club
Owen has become one of the most famous players in the world since
coming through the ranks at Liverpool - and is a key part of
England's Euro 2004 challenge.
24 goals for England - combined with 150 goals for his club - pay
testament to Owen's prolific ability in front of goal.
Should the striker agree the deal, it would be a blow to the likes
of Internazionale and Real Madrid, who have both cast their eye
over Owen in the past.
JANUARY 19
Owen set
for contract talks
BBC Sport Online
Liverpool are set to open contract talks with Michael Owen in
the coming weeks.
There have been growing doubts over Owen's future at the club.
Earlier this month, the England striker's agent said he would move
elsewhere if the Reds failed to secure Champions League football.
But manager Gerard Houllier remained confident at the weekend
talks with his star striker would lead to him agreeing fresh terms
with the club.
"We know the situation," said Houllier. "We have been in contact
with the agent and, as soon as the agent comes back, we will start
talks."
Speculation has mounted over Owen's position at Anfield following
Liverpool's poor season to date.
And that was further exacerbated by the team's 2-1 defeat to
Tottenham.
But the 24-year-old, who has played at senior level for the club
since 1996, has continually dismissed reports of a move elsewhere.
JANUARY 11
Owen happy
to remain a Red
LFC Official Website
Michael Owen last night revealed he will be more than happy to
commit his long term future to Anfield - if the contract is right.
Owen made his first team return during the Reds' 1-0 victory over
Aston Villa and then admitted he is hoping to remain a Liverpool
player for the foreseeable future.
Owen said: "This is going to be the main contract of my career so
it has to be right. I have a family to look after now.
"I like the lads here and I like the management staff so
everything is in place for me to stay."
The Liverpool striker was pleased to be back in action after weeks
on the sidelines with injury problems, but he admits he felt a bit
rusty after a long lay-off.
"I should have scored a couple of goals," he admitted. "I was
disappointed not to hit the target on a couple of occasions but
that sharpness will come back.
"The first game back after injury is always tough but the most
important thing was that we won the game. It was a big three
points for us."
JANUARY 10
Owen: No contract talks this month
Kop Talk
Liverpool striker Michael Owen says he won't be sitting down to
hold talks with the club regarding a new contract until February
or March.
The club had hoped to have the player's future resolved last year
but it looks like it's going to be dragged out well into the
latter stage of the season which will come as a surprise to Gerard
Houllier who believed that talks would be underway by the end of
this month.
Speaking earlier this week - on the 7th January - the Liverpool
boss said: "I would think that talks over a new contract will
begin at the end of the month, when Michael's representative is
back in the country."
Owen however says his agent is still away on holiday but says he
hopes that something will be sorted out.
"There's been a lot written and said about it but I've come out a
couple of times to clear the air but everytime you don't say
anything it gets murkier and murkier," said the Liverpool player.
"It's the same as I've always said, we're not sitting down until
February or March which is when my advisor is back in the country.
"It's not a coincidence that he's away, he's planned it for years
and years.
"Yes we'll sit down, it's just the same as anyone else that's been
offered a contract.
"We're going to sit down as soon as my advisor is back and
hopefully sort something out."
JANUARY 7
Owen contract
thriller
By Andy Hunter - Daily Post
Gerard Houllier last night dismissed the latest Champions
League ultimatum to Michael Owen's future to reveal Liverpool will
open contract talks with the striker later this month.
The chairman of Owen's advisors SFX yesterday warned the Reds
their prized asset may quit Anfield if they fail to finish in the
top four again.
But Houllier, who refused to comment on suggestions SFX hope to
broker a huge transfer before Owen's contract with them expires in
July, insisted the club were now making progress on a new deal.
Owen is considering leaving the agency this summer, as David
Beckham did last year, and is reportedly unhappy with chairman
John Holmes' threat to the Reds.
Holmes said: "Champions League football is very important to
Michael.
"A crucial five months await Liverpool. For them not to qualify
for the Champions League two years on the trot would have severe
economic repercussions.
"Michael is now 24 and he is moving into his prime. He needs to be
playing at the very highest level of club football."
An angry Houllier responded: "If we do not reach a Champions
League place, the absence of Michael Owen will have played a part.
He has not been playing for three months.
"So when the agent says that we have to play in the Champions
League he should consider the fact that maybe if we had been more
lucky with Michael and he had not been injured, we would be in the
Champions League spot.
"I've got my opinions on why this has been said. What I find
strange is that somebody comes out and says 'if we're not in the
Champions League, he's going'. Yet he doesn't take into
consideration that the player, our top player, has been away for
three months."
Negotiations with SFX are complicated as Owen considers Tony
Stephens to be his agent, not Holmes, and the former currently
works for the agency on a part-time basis.
Stephens has been away on a lengthy break for several weeks, but
Liverpool expect talks to commence on his return.
"I would think talks will start this month," revealed Houllier.
"We are just waiting for Michael to be back because he plays such
a part in our performances and results.
"I said Michael would have a great season. He played nine games
and scored eight goals before he was injured. "Unfortunately our
strik-ing force is too depleted to compete at the top level,
particularly with Milan Baros out too."
He added: "It is not only Michael Owen, it is not only some agent
wanting Champions League football, it is the whole club and the
whole community of fans.
"I believe Michael will sign a new contract this year. That is my
opinion. We regret that he has not been playing for three months.
"Michael's agent is away at the moment, and he will come back
later in January and then Rick Parry and myself will speak with
him."
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