"Yes, if we could sit down around a table with Michael and his advisors and maybe draft a deal up that would be workable for both sides, who knows? It could be a good start to the transfer market for us."So far, according to this article on the Premier League's website, only Hull City and Stoke City have come out and said they would like to sign him. Galatasaray is also rumored to be interested.
There's no denying that Michael Owen used to be a fabulous player. His scoring record with Liverpool is fabulous and his 40 goals for England are the fourth most of any other English international. But does he still have it? Some would argue (myself included) that he would've kept Newcastle in the Premier League if he still was a quality striker. And he didn't even start very many games under Alan Shearer down the stretch when he was healthy, a worrying sign no doubt.
Michael Owen has two things going against him - his injury history and his high wage demands. Not many clubs seem to want to take that risk. His high wage demands could very well be detrimental to whatever club he joins. Newcastle was overpaying many, many players, but when they signed Owen, their financial situation was much more stable. In this economy especially, clubs like Stoke or Hull would surely have to go well beyond their means to satisfy Owen's wage requests (whether he deserves it or not is another matter), and if he doesn't produce or gets injured, will that lead to relegation?
Michael Owen is a very big risk, and not one that I would make as a club. But his name alone will get him signed, and he's still on the right side of the age of 30. Owen himself might have to lower his expectations for a club in order to be signed. But with his contract at Newcastle expiring in a matter of days, he will have suitors coming. We'll wait and see.
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