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The leader Freddy Shepherd, not hiding his anger, demanded Michael Owen to publicly demonstrate loyalty to the team and assured that none of the country's four strongest clubs are interested in him.
This F.Shepherd's reaction was triggered by information that appeared in the media on Wednesday stating that there is a possibility of a ransom of less than £10 million if "Newcastle" fails to qualify for any European cup tournament. This season, that's exactly what happened, as the team in the English championship did not rise above the 12th position.
With the opportunity to acquire a national team star at a relatively low price, as the press claims, London and have already shown interest.
However, the "Magpies" certainly do not intend to let M.Owen leave, as the footballer, who cost £17 million, played only 13 matches and scored 7 goals due to serious injuries in the last two years.
"Michael now has two options. The first - publicly declare to the fans that he is happy here and has no intention of leaving. The second - I will simply say that none of the mentioned teams are interested in him, because that's how it is," emotionally explained F.Shepherd.
"All these talks certainly will not charm the fans knowing what happened to M.Owen over the last couple of years."
F.Shepherd did not deny the fact that such a possibility is in the contract, but he shook off accusations of information leakage in the club: "All this leaked from a very close person to the player or his observer. Definitely not from the "Newcastle" management."
Although M.Owen or his representatives have not yet publicly expressed their opinion on this issue, it is almost certain that the player himself does not intend to leave Newcastle at least this summer.
"The loyalty that our club has shown to M.Owen in recent years, when he was recovering from serious injuries, deserves compensation," F.Shepherd continued. "Knowing this, no super club will likely dare to risk and try to buy him.
"The forward has to prove to everyone, to us and the fans, that he has fully recovered and will not break down again."
