He claims plenty of clubs are interested in him, but only one or two have said anything out loud at the moment. So where will Michael Owen be next season? We look at the candidates in the Premier League...
Aston Villa
A plausible one, and not only because of Emile Heskey. Villa certainly have the money for his wages, and with Owen, Heskey, John Carew and Gabby Agbonlahor Villa would then have an interchangeable combination of big man/little man partnerships that their wingers would thrive upon. This would also mean there wouldn't be quite so much pressure on Owen to stay fit, as there wouldn't be the reliance on him as other possible destinations.
Odds: 5/2.
Blackburn
Looked like a plausible option until Sam Allardyce described Owen on Saturday as an 'unaffordable luxury'. However, in the same interview he claimed Blackburn stand a chance of signing Ruud van Nistelrooy, so how reliable his words are is unclear.
Odds: 16/1 (Paddy Power).
Everton
The current favourite, but it's not entirely clear why. Sure, Everton have the sort of standing that would attract Owen, and David Moyes has showed he's prepared to give perennially injured strikers (Louis Saha) a go before. However, Everton's problem up front last season was that their forwards spent the majority of the time unavailable, so would it really make sense to sign another expensive crock? Even on a pay-as-you-play deal, this seems illogical.
Odds: 2/1.
Hull City
They're certainly willing, with Phil Brown and chairman Paul Duffen slapping their cards and stacks of cash on the table in a very public way over the last few days. However, even with his plummeting cache it's hard to see Owen accepting an offer from a club almost certain to be involved in a relegation struggle next season, and The Newcastle Chronicle described him last week as being 'extremely reluctant' to join Hull.
Also, we'd question the wisdom of Hull even chasing Owen. They would have to shell out a large portion of their (presumably relatively small) wage budget on a luxury, and a luxury that will not play for much of the season. Hull need goals, but they also need reliability, and while Owen might provide one he certainly won't provide the other.
Odds: 5/2.
Liverpool
No chance. A couple of papers got very excited earlier in the summer when Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher said they still rated Owen, and hoped he could resurrect his career. The papers claimed this was a message to Rafa Benitez, urging him to sign Owen, but they were both almost certainly responding to a question along the lines of 'What do you think of Michael Owen?' In that situation, what were they going to say about a man who is presumably a friend of both? "He's an invalid and I hope he never plays again"?
Odds: 11/2.
Newcastle
Hmmmm. Extremely unlikely, given the cost-cutting that Newcastle will have to undergo after their relegation, but what if literally nobody else wants him? Cap in hand, could Owen return to St James's? Probably not, but if Newcastle find someone with more money than sense to buy the club, who knows what will happen.
Odds: 7/1.
Tottenham
Not out of the question. Indeed, Harry Redknapp has shown willingness to go for another ageing striker with injury problems, with his reported interest in Ruud van Nistelrooy. However, that deal was apparently vetoed by Daniel Levy because of his wages, so Owen could prove too expensive as well. Also, with Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe already in his squad, if Redknapp is to sign a striker this summer it will most likely be someone a little bigger.
Odds: 12/1.
Stoke
We've all found Stoke's apparent interest in Owen terribly amusing, but this one looks unlikely for a couple of reasons. Firstly, a quick glance at Tony Pulis's current squad will tell you he doesn't often go for fragile types, and Owen would frankly look hilarious lining up next to James Beattie and Ricardo Fuller. Secondly, Owen probably wouldn't fancy it.
Thirdly, and probably most importantly, Stoke's interest is far from concrete. Pulis's statement of intent was actually more along the lines of 'He's a good player and we like good players'. Furthermore, chairman Peter Coates indicated on Thursday that he had major reservations about signing Owen. "There is always the worry with Michael, because of recent years, how often is he going to play?" he said. "We haven't really discussed Michael at this stage. We know he's about...We will still keep an eye on it, that's about as much as I would say." Not exactly the words of a committed suitor.
Odds: 20/1.
Sunderland
Possible. Ellis Short has plenty of ambition and even more cash, so the wages would most likely not be a problem. Steve Bruce is not afraid of taking players previously thought to be on the scrap heap (see Titus Bramble, Christophe Dugarry, Emile Heskey etc), so he could be open to bringing Owen as well. However, there will be questions about Owen's willingness. While clearly a club looking up, Sunderland were still at the ugly end of the table for the large part of last season, and were only assured of their survival on the final day.
Odds: 18/1 (Paddy Power).
West Ham
Unlikely that they will take on such an expensive option given their ropey financial state. Also, Gianfranco Zola hardly seems the sort to bring in a big name for the sake of it, and while they could do with a striker or two, Owen probably won't be the man.
Odds: 16/1.
Nick Miller
All odds taken from Sky Bet, unless otherwise stated.
Your Comments
shakes
"harryboulton - it was very clear what made him think that Newcastle was the place to go... MONEY. It's that simple. He didn't give a toss about winning trophies and challenging himself. He joined the gravy train at Newcastle and decided himself to take the easy route. He should never have left Liverpool in the first place.
If the guy had any character left he'd hand back the loyalty money he's apparently being paid. On top of that, if he had even more character, he'd stay at Newcastle, take a massive wage cut, and break his ass to score goals to get them back into the premiership. Footballers like Owen/Viduka are parasites who bleed clubs dry and basically shitt all over the fans. Granted, the Newcastle board were idiots to give players like this such mind boggling deals but surely the players can give something back to a club that gave them so much. Owen is a parody of what he was when he burst onto scene for the pool. Playing and scoring goals drove him, then somewhere along the line that changed. Unlucky with injuries but his greed for cash is obvious. As a pool fan, I'd hate to see him back at Liverpool myself. He doesn't deserve to get that chance again and certainly doesn't deserve to command the wages he does.
A bit harsh??? Maybe... but player greed is one of the many issues that are destroying football. Can't stand it."
harryboulton
"Owen ruined a potentially steller career by making some bad decisions, and 3 of them stand out. 1) Leaving Liverpool. 2) Leaving Real Madrid after just one season. 3) Deciding to join Newcastle. There, in 3 easy steps, is a garaunteed way to ruin your career. It was all over by the age of 26 for him. Leaving Liverpool seemed daft at the time but going to Real Madrid made sense in a way. Then leaving Madrid afer just one season was crazy. Quite how he concluded that Newcastle was a good move from there is anyone's guess but it effectively sealed his fate. The club were over-reliant on him, never granting him time to fully recover. The toll on his body has made him an injurt prone wreck.
It wouldn'tr surprise me to see him reture. Numpty."
steed_8
"La Galaxy seems reasonable."
red_til_i_die
"He'll probably go to whoever pays the most?!?!?! If they all wanted to buy him i think he'd go to Everton myself"
muleygraves
"Genuinely hope the greedy sod finds nowhere and is forced to retire. If he wasn't an ex-England striker the media would have slaughtered him for his behaviour at Newcastle. It's not Owen's fault that injury has blighted his career but he's ruined his reputation by being a grubby mercenary. Shay Given wasn't too impressed anyway."
h0m3r
"Seeing how stupid and mis-managed Newcastle are, i can see them re-signing him on improved wages! This isn't so mental considering that Newcastle actually pay Joey Barton a fair whack for "image rights"!"
jonbwfc
""With Owen, Heskey, John Carew and Gabby Agbonlahor Villa would then have an interchangeable combination of big man/little man partnerships"
Strikes me Owen is the only one whose anything like a 'little man' out of that lot. Agbonlahor isn't the biggest but he's still not your in the box mopper upper type. Anyway, I doubt O'Neil is daft enough to pay the kind of wages Owen would expect at a 'big club' on a player in his physical condition.
It's o coincidence that the only clubs who have actually made noises about signing Owen are the ones who effectively have nothing to lose. Everyone thinks Hull are gong to go down anyway, so they might as well take a gamble. Villa are probably going to be pushing for fourth, why would they take the risk on a crock?
Jon"
wheatworld
"He'll take a big club in a s**** league, preferably one close to the racetrack. And one that has a helipad near by. Hong Kong Football Club it is then. Welcome Mikey!"
goon
"foolish michael owen. if he had spent his early career modelling hair gel and dating models his "marketability" could have got hiim a contract with all sorts of clubs."
iwanttobelieve
"or why not fulham? wages wouldnt be too much of a prob given al-fayed's money.. and hodgson could bring out the best in him. but i think the question is, will the tiny tit have the sense to realise he's no longer the player he once was and settle for a decent mid-table team."
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