Michael Owen infuriates Newcastle United fans with ‘poker face’ Liverpool claim

Former Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has provoked anger from supporters once again by giving an insight into his £17m move to Tyneside.

With United struggling in the opening weeks of the 2005/06 season, the Magpies fought off competition from Liverpool to land a then-club record deal for the England striker.

Owen got off to a positive start in a black and white shirt, scoring his first goal in a 3-0 win at Blackburn Rovers and hitting a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory at West Ham United.

But they were rare highlights and Owen’s first season at St James Park all-but came to an end with a metatarsal injury suffered in a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur midway through the campaign.

Further injury problems came when Owen suffered a serious knee injury whilst representing England at the 2006 World Cup as he was ruled out for the vast majority of the following season.

An improved spell playing a new number ten role under Kevin Keegan seemed to have thrust new life into Owen’s career on Tyneside - but that hope would be short-lived and he departed under a cloud at the end of a disastrous 2008/09 season.

‘I’m not going anywhere else’

Reflecting on his move to United, he told BT Sport: “When I was leaving Real Madrid, I spoke to Liverpool, they wanted to buy me back, they put in a bid of £10 million.

“So they’d sold me for £8m and put in a bid of £10m, I thought, I’m there, I’m going to go home.

“The president knocks on the door of my hotel room before a pre-season game and says listen ‘we’ve had a bid from an English team, how are you feeling? We’ve loved having you here, you’re absolutely welcome to stay, but if you want to go home, it’s your call’.

“I said no, I’d prefer to go back now, I’ve had a great experience, but I’d prefer to go back now, thinking it’s Liverpool.

“He said ‘Okay well, it’s Newcastle’ and I was like what? I was told obviously on the QT by Liverpool that they were going to put in a bid, so I just assumed it was them.

He continued: “So I was like oh no no no, no no no, I will go back to Liverpool but no no no, I’m not going…I’m not going anywhere else.

“He said well Newcastle have bid £16m, if Liverpool do that, then you can go there.

“But if not, you either stay here or go to Newcastle.

“I was like okay, I’ll stay here, I’ll stay here, obviously putting on a poker face.”

‘It would be more attractive for Liverpool to buy me back’

Owen revealed a unique agreement was made with United that would allow him to return to Liverpool each summer.

Injuries and the Reds decision to sign two in-form strikers ended any thoughts of an Anfield reunion and Owen was forced to see out his time at Newcastle.

He said: “I spoke to Newcastle and Newcastle agreed that if I signed for them, I can do one year and then they will sell me to Liverpool for an agreed fee of £12m.

“Then if I do another year, then they’ll sell me to Liverpool for £8m, and another year for £4m.

“So every year, it would be more attractive for Liverpool to buy me back.

“The mad thing is, is that  I was hopefully going to be going back for £12m, did my knee, so then Liverpool bought Torres and Suarez, and it just never happened.

“At the end of every year, I obviously tried to go back.”

‘Alan Shearer would have done the same’

Owen’s time on Tyneside came to an end in the aftermath of the club’s first ever relegation from the Premier League in 2009.

After an underwhelming final season at St James Park, Owen remained in the Premier League after a surprise move to Manchester United.

Under the guidance of Chris Hughton, Newcastle returned to the top tier at the first attempt and Owen returned to St James Park with the Red Devils in April 2019.

The striker received the full wrath of the Gallowgate faithful when he replaced Nani with ten minutes remaining as the two sides battled to a goalless draw.

Owen has since revealed in an interview with The Mail that he asked to be move off a Magpies game when he was set to revisit Tyneside as part of BT Sport’s live coverage.

And in the same interview he revealed that he does not understand the negativity aimed at him by United supporters.

He further elaborated on his feelings for Newcastle in the BT Sport feature, saying: “I have got to make it clear, that’s not to say I didn’t have any love for (Newcastle United).

“But when you have a love for a team…no one can blame me for that.

“Alan Shearer would have done the same for Newcastle.  I had a great time.

“Lots of people say otherwise but four years up there. I lived up there despite what people thought, it’s a great city.

“It was brilliant but I just wanted to play for Liverpool. That was the only problem.”

Newcastle United fans react

Owen’s comments provoked a strong reaction from Magpies supporters on social media as several hit out at the former England striker.

Twitter user DanJR1987 said: “I really really dislike Michael Owen. I very rarely ever agree with Souness, but I really wish #nufc went with his choice of Anelka.”

David Brooman said: “Well if there was anyone anywhere in any doubt what a terrible buy Michael Owen was for Newcastle, he spells it out in his own words, I hope he is never allowed to set foot in our great city ever again.”

Dale Wighton tweeted: “Every club he played for (apart from Stoke) were better when he left

“Antoine Sibierski, Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands were all better footballers for @NUFC than the fraud that is Michael Owen.”