Newcastle go for Beckham
By LEE CLAYTON and COLIN YOUNG, Daily Mail
7th July 2006
Newcastle United striker Michael Owen models the team's new 2006/07 away shirt.
David Beckham has held talks with Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd about a sensational return to English football.
On the day Newcastle discovered they will lose Michael Owen for a year, it emerged that Shepherd met the Beckhams at Claridge's hotel in London.
Newcastle want Beckham to take over the No 7 shirt once worn by another former England captain, Kevin Keegan, and are willing to put together a £120,000-a-week package to lure him back from Real Madrid. An image rights deal, enabling Beckham to rake in a percentage of shirt sales and club shop memorabilia, would be part of the package.
The 31-year-old midfielder has been told he can stay at Real by new president Ramon Calderon and new coach Fabio Capello, but Newcastle are in need of a high-profile player, especially with the latest bulletin on Owen revealing more bad news.
Newcastle will allow Beckham to live at his 'Beckingham Palace' home in Hertfordshire and commute via helicopter to the northeast, just as his England and former Real team-mate Owen did in the early part of last season.
Newcastle have lost the talismanic figure of Alan Shearer, who retired at the end of last season, while Owen has been sidelined with a cruciate knee ligament injury. Relationships forged with Madrid during last summer's £15million signing of Owen have led Newcastle to believe they can pull off the coup.
The club start the season in the InterToto Cup and, with Glenn Roeder in charge, they need to bring in new faces to inspire their loyal support, who are demanding an improvement on their dismal showing last season.
Newcastle have been linked with West Ham pair Dean Ashton and Marlon Harewood but neither is for sale. They need firepower, but they also need to shift season tickets.
Wish-list
Tottenham's Jermain Defoe is another striker on their wish-list and they will have to show Beck-ham they have ambition — and money — and can attract more stars to St James' Park.
Owen, who had a knee operation at Dr Richard Steadman's clinic in Colorado earlier this week, has been told he requires further surgery in two months' time.
The 26-year-old striker, who suffered ligament damage in the opening minute of England's final World Cup group game against Sweden, is unlikely to play competitive football again until August next year.
The first operation, which took place on Wednesday, merely repaired slight lateral damage to the cartilage in his knee. Owen will return to England on Monday for two months of rehabilitation with Newcastle's physios before going back to America for a second operation to deal with the major problem of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Roeder said: "I spoke to our club doctor Roddy McDonald after the first stage of the procedure had been done and he explained to me what the second stage would involve and that it could take place in eight weeks."
Steadman, who has saved the careers of Alan Shearer, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, discovered the additional problem during a routine scan on Wednesday morning.
Only after the second operation, pencilled in for the start of September, will Owen be allowed to step up his recovery programme, and that seems certain to rule out a return to first team action next season. Owen's first season at St James' Park was ruined by a broken metatarsal, which restricted him to 11 appearances.
The news is another blow to Roeder, who has a major shortage of striking options ahead of the Inter-Toto Cup campaign, which begins on Saturday week.
Shola Ameobi, however, has returned to light jogging and could be a surprise inclusion for the two-legged tie against a team from either Norway or Iceland.
dailymail.co.uk
By LEE CLAYTON and COLIN YOUNG, Daily Mail
7th July 2006
Newcastle United striker Michael Owen models the team's new 2006/07 away shirt.
David Beckham has held talks with Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd about a sensational return to English football.
On the day Newcastle discovered they will lose Michael Owen for a year, it emerged that Shepherd met the Beckhams at Claridge's hotel in London.
Newcastle want Beckham to take over the No 7 shirt once worn by another former England captain, Kevin Keegan, and are willing to put together a £120,000-a-week package to lure him back from Real Madrid. An image rights deal, enabling Beckham to rake in a percentage of shirt sales and club shop memorabilia, would be part of the package.
The 31-year-old midfielder has been told he can stay at Real by new president Ramon Calderon and new coach Fabio Capello, but Newcastle are in need of a high-profile player, especially with the latest bulletin on Owen revealing more bad news.
Newcastle will allow Beckham to live at his 'Beckingham Palace' home in Hertfordshire and commute via helicopter to the northeast, just as his England and former Real team-mate Owen did in the early part of last season.
Newcastle have lost the talismanic figure of Alan Shearer, who retired at the end of last season, while Owen has been sidelined with a cruciate knee ligament injury. Relationships forged with Madrid during last summer's £15million signing of Owen have led Newcastle to believe they can pull off the coup.
The club start the season in the InterToto Cup and, with Glenn Roeder in charge, they need to bring in new faces to inspire their loyal support, who are demanding an improvement on their dismal showing last season.
Newcastle have been linked with West Ham pair Dean Ashton and Marlon Harewood but neither is for sale. They need firepower, but they also need to shift season tickets.
Wish-list
Tottenham's Jermain Defoe is another striker on their wish-list and they will have to show Beck-ham they have ambition — and money — and can attract more stars to St James' Park.
Owen, who had a knee operation at Dr Richard Steadman's clinic in Colorado earlier this week, has been told he requires further surgery in two months' time.
The 26-year-old striker, who suffered ligament damage in the opening minute of England's final World Cup group game against Sweden, is unlikely to play competitive football again until August next year.
The first operation, which took place on Wednesday, merely repaired slight lateral damage to the cartilage in his knee. Owen will return to England on Monday for two months of rehabilitation with Newcastle's physios before going back to America for a second operation to deal with the major problem of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Roeder said: "I spoke to our club doctor Roddy McDonald after the first stage of the procedure had been done and he explained to me what the second stage would involve and that it could take place in eight weeks."
Steadman, who has saved the careers of Alan Shearer, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, discovered the additional problem during a routine scan on Wednesday morning.
Only after the second operation, pencilled in for the start of September, will Owen be allowed to step up his recovery programme, and that seems certain to rule out a return to first team action next season. Owen's first season at St James' Park was ruined by a broken metatarsal, which restricted him to 11 appearances.
The news is another blow to Roeder, who has a major shortage of striking options ahead of the Inter-Toto Cup campaign, which begins on Saturday week.
Shola Ameobi, however, has returned to light jogging and could be a surprise inclusion for the two-legged tie against a team from either Norway or Iceland.
dailymail.co.uk
