Since then Kevin Nolan, the club captain, has reluctantly left and contract offers made to José Enrique and Barton were withdrawn while both thought negotiations were ongoing. Andy Carroll left in January for a fee that could not be turned down unless they had given the centre-forward a salary they were unwilling to meet and the board and manager placated supporters by saying the £35m fee would be reinvested in players. Is he such a renegade? Consider his position at Newcastle United, a club he clearly loves, who are run by men who cut their cloth according to a design on which they refuse to elaborate. More relevant to his appeal to the clubs considering a bid is his serviceability as a player, the reckless frankness with which he delivers his opinions and whether any manager can keep someone with a relentless appetite for speaking what he considers to be the truth stuck to the party line. His critics point to the baggage that comes with him, a record of crimes and misdemeanours that has been so regularly trotted out in profiles of him in recent days that football fans have no need of another rehash of past offences.
Indeed Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Aston Villa and Celtic are all reported this morning to be considering making an offer to the midfielder Derek Llambias could not gag, on the assumption that capturing such a talented and industrious player – decent free-kick and corner taker, feisty, to say the least, in the tackle, good passer and organiser – represents the kind of bargain not normally associated with English players.
If the daily rumour-mongers are to be believed suitors for Newcastle United's Joey Barton, who is currently serving a spell in solitary for speaking his mind on the state of his club on Twitter, are not thin on the ground.
0 kommentar(er)
