Mike Ashley Puts High-earners Up for Sale As Newcastle Takeover Drags on
Obafemi Martins and Fabricio Coloccini are among 10 players being offered to interested clubs in an attempt to reduce Newcastle's wage bill
Newcastle United are set to step up efforts to reduce their wage bill this week as they attempt to make the relegated club more attractive to purchasers. The details of 10 players, most notably Obafemi Martins and Fabricio Coloccini, have been circulated to agents worldwide.
Despite interest from Malaysia, the US and the UK, the club remains unsold, with the three parties concerned about the overdraft arrangements and an annual wage bill which stands at around £65m.
Seymour Pierce, the investment bank brokering the sale, had hoped Mike Ashley would have found a buyer by this week but sources suggest it could be another month. In a bid to accelerate the process Ashley has tried to move some high earning players on, but many of Newcastle's squad are on unusually generous pay.
Martins is coveted by Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lyon. While the Nigeria striker, currently recovering from groin surgery, does not want to move to Germany, Sevilla and Lyon could probably only offer him £40,000 a week – barely half his wages.
Coloccini, an Argentina defender, cost Newcastle £10m but after a disappointing season few, if any, clubs are likely to match his £70,000 a week. Galatasaray, though, have already made a £4m bid.
Meanwhile Newcastle's squad traveled to Dublin for a week-long training camp culminating in their first friendly, at Shamrock Rovers. While Chris Hughton, the caretaker manager, put them through their paces, a frustrated Alan Shearer waited for news of a takeover and his potential installation as manager.
He is unlikely to have been reassured by Joe Kinnear's first public comments since his recovery from a heart bypass in February. "Mike [Ashley] knows I'm still available," said Kinnear. "I feel as fit as a fiddle, I love the game and I'm desperate to get back into it." Moreover he claimed Newcastle would not have been relegated had he stayed in charge. "I'm pretty sure that the run I got the team on at the time would have seen us through," he said.
Shearer, who was in charge for the last eight games, is wanted back at Match of the Day but, for the moment at least, the BBC is not putting any pressure on him.
Despite interest from Malaysia, the US and the UK, the club remains unsold, with the three parties concerned about the overdraft arrangements and an annual wage bill which stands at around £65m.
Seymour Pierce, the investment bank brokering the sale, had hoped Mike Ashley would have found a buyer by this week but sources suggest it could be another month. In a bid to accelerate the process Ashley has tried to move some high earning players on, but many of Newcastle's squad are on unusually generous pay.
Martins is coveted by Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lyon. While the Nigeria striker, currently recovering from groin surgery, does not want to move to Germany, Sevilla and Lyon could probably only offer him £40,000 a week – barely half his wages.
Coloccini, an Argentina defender, cost Newcastle £10m but after a disappointing season few, if any, clubs are likely to match his £70,000 a week. Galatasaray, though, have already made a £4m bid.
Meanwhile Newcastle's squad traveled to Dublin for a week-long training camp culminating in their first friendly, at Shamrock Rovers. While Chris Hughton, the caretaker manager, put them through their paces, a frustrated Alan Shearer waited for news of a takeover and his potential installation as manager.
He is unlikely to have been reassured by Joe Kinnear's first public comments since his recovery from a heart bypass in February. "Mike [Ashley] knows I'm still available," said Kinnear. "I feel as fit as a fiddle, I love the game and I'm desperate to get back into it." Moreover he claimed Newcastle would not have been relegated had he stayed in charge. "I'm pretty sure that the run I got the team on at the time would have seen us through," he said.
Shearer, who was in charge for the last eight games, is wanted back at Match of the Day but, for the moment at least, the BBC is not putting any pressure on him.
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