Owen worth Man Utd gamble
Sir Alex Ferguson placed his faith in something he trusts far more than a glossy brochure when he picked up the phone and offered Michael Owen a new home at Manchester United.
Owen's management team produced the 32-page magazine advertising their client's qualities - aspirational, cool, devoted and sincere to name but four - and delivered a slick reminder of why he was once one of football's genuine superstars.
Ferguson does not do brochures to buy players. Pure instinct and the love of a punt is often enough and the shock pursuit of Owen, mocked only days ago when Hull City and Stoke City declared an interest, is a prime example.
United's vast budget, helped by £80m from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo, lets Ferguson shop at the sharp end of the market - but also gives him the opportunity to take the odd chance. Owen falls neatly into that bracket as prospective targets Karim Benzema, David Villa and Franck Ribery go elsewhere.
So is this a sign of desperation creeping into United's transfer dealings or another piece of inspiration from the gambler Ferguson?
Ferguson has got form for the maverick deal. Eric Cantona was not a regular at Leeds United when Ferguson took him across the M62 and elevated him to Old Trafford's legends.
Laurent Blanc was an itch Ferguson simply had to scratch and that was not a huge success, but Teddy Sheringham came late to Old Trafford and cleaned up on silverware, while the veteran Henrik Larsson made a contribution when he joined United on loan from Helsingborg in December 2006.
Blanc and Larsson were players Ferguson had long wanted at Old Trafford and it was source of regret that he only got his hands on them in the twilight of their careers. Owen has tempted him before, but now he feels the time and price is right.
As I noted in an earlier blog, Owen represents a gamble worth taking and his wages are not prohibitive when lesser talents will be going for just as much this summer.
The shock of this story is Owen's destination. Hull and Stoke were never serious options, but Everton and Aston Villa were - only for United to come out of left field on Thursday afternoon.
So who gets what from this transfer? And will certain other clubs come to regret leaving the field free for Ferguson to set up a deal that comes as a surprise, even to the supposedly unshockable Premier League community?
For Owen, this is a staggering opportunity that he could never have imagined being placed in front of him when he trudged off Villa Park after another fruitless cameo appearance for Newcastle United as they dropped into the Championship.
And yet, for all the shockwaves this move will cause, Owen will not turn turn up at Old Trafford believing Ferguson has done him a good turn. He will feel he can benefit Manchester United just as much as they can benefit him.
He has an iron shield of self-belief and has never lost the conviction that his rightful place is at a top four club with aspirations of winning the Premier League and the Champions League.
If anyone doubts that, then they do not know Michael Owen. Single-minded barely does him justice and those who speculated that he had lost his love of football were equally wrong-headed.
This is what made him extraordinary at 16 and will fuel him when he walks into Old Trafford.
He is unlikely to worry about his status with Liverpool's fans if he puts pen to paper with rivals United, even though a return to Anfield has probably always been his preferred option, especially when he left Real Madrid.
Owen still has influential supporters inside Liverpool's dressing room who would like to see him back at Anfield, but manager Rafael Benitez has remained unmoved on Owen.
It is a view shaped when he left for Spain at the start of his reign in 2004 and refused to hold out for a move back to Anfield when Newcastle came calling 12 months later - a decision rightly based on the player's fears of missing the next summer's World Cup.
Owen will see United as the perfect platform for one last stab at persuaduing Fabio Capello that he is worthy of consideration for England's World Cup campaign in South Africa next summer.
And he could hardly have asked for a better stage to demonstrate that he should still play a part with England, especially with Wayne Rooney in tandem at club level. Try as you might, it is impossible to detect a downside in this deal for Owen.
United's reasoning will come under closer scrutiny - but Ferguson's move is based on both need and logic as well as his own gut feeling.
Manchester United supporters expecting the arrival of world superstars may need convincing that Owen is the direction they should be heading in. Owen will split opinion, but goals shape verdicts and if he hits the mark early all previous allegiances and injuries will be forgotten.
Ferguson has watched United's potency decreased by the departure of Ronaldo and, to a much lesser extent, Carlos Tevez. Owen may have lost the searing pace of his youth, but his goalscoring record when fit still stands up to serious examination.
And as someone who watched United regularly last season, if there was one element missing from the squad that deservedly claimed a third successive Premier League title, it was a ruthless, killer instinct. Owen will never lose that and the pragmatist in Ferguson tells him that, even at 29, he can add an extra dimension to United.
If United create chances, which they do with regularity, Owen is still as good as anyone around at converting them if he is playing and this will have been the final reckoning for Ferguson, who will tailor his role and appearances to draw the best out of such an accomplioshed marksman.
Owen's fitness will be the question mark over the deal, but Ferguson's medical team have mastered such things before and it is unlikely he will be thrust into United's side as a regular.
The striker was being mocked for his failure to attract serious interest only days ago. It does not get more serious than Manchester United - so do not bet against Owen having the last laugh.
For Owen, the deal is a huge victory. For United and Ferguson it represents a gamble - but it is a gamble based on some sound footballing logic and one that others might yet regret not taking.
I'm Phil McNulty and I'm BBC Sport's chief football writer. I cover the biggest, best, most interesting and most hotly-debated sport in the world.
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I can see Big Sams point, but United dont need him to play 40 games a season. Berba can step up and Rooney, Owen on the bench and filling in like a Solsjaer-esque super sub. Ideal situation for everyone, Owen playing at the top level, getting the chance to win things and getting a chance to rest now and again, and reduces the chance of Tevez style throwing of toys out of the cot. Probably still need another big name signing though, 3 quality strikers who could play every game plus Owen as top quality back up
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Phil, you 're doing an excellent job at initiating debate. Not least by having conflicting views in the same piece. First you say that Owen could not have imagined an opportunity like this coming up. Then you (rightly) follow up by stating that his self-belief is high and that he expects to play for a top 4 team...
Owen's goal scoring record has consistently been second to none. Even at Newcastle where "service" was poor and Real Madrid where he didn't start as many games as he would have liked. So it was NEVER a question of being a gamble, certainly not in terms of skills and ability. As of injuries, those can happen to anyone; as long as he passes the medical, he is no more of a gamble than the next guy in the dressing room. And in today's squad game that top flight football is, ManU doesn't need Owen to play every minute of every match (unlike, say, Blackburn - hence Big Sam's reservations). The fact that Owen is a nice bloke and likes horses must also be attractive to Ferguson; he doesn't need more celebrities nor players who moan about not playing because they are either not good enough or don't suit that day's tactics. I can see Owen being a great hit at ManU. And Fabio Capello is not afraid to bring back players he once dropped - Beckham anyone - so watch out.
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An interesting signing - if he passes the medical (which I would expect will be very thorough) and terms etc can be agreed. Does this mean that Man U have given up on looking for a striker from overseas and the next transfer target will be a holding midfielder - especially in view of Hergrieves injury problems.
Is their any chance that the next blog can be on league 1 - especially on Norwich city
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i feel strangely numb about this one. if benitez had taken owen he would've been ridiculed. if brown had taken owen it would've been a coup. if o'neill or moyes taken owen it would've been the expected result and a non-event yet when ferguson takes owen it is a calculated risk. as a liverpool fan i would've loved to have seen benitez have taken a calculated risk. owen would've done it for £25k a week + incentives just to put on a red shirt again. is it too late to gazump fergie rafa?
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I imagine Ferguson thinks he could be the new Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as an impact substitute. Can't argue with that either, if he stays fit he WILL score goals, especially with the service he'll get at Man Utd. I question whether he'll ever be fully fit again but I really wish him all the best, I hope he does well and proves some of his doubters wrong!
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Well............................... that certainly caught me off guard. I would have preferred it if he went back to Liverpool. Free transfer, another striker............... Perfect, since the likes of David N'Gog are not exactly ready.
Back to his possible transfer. Big shock, but you never know, it could work.
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I dont know why it was such a shock!! i called it about two weeks ago, have the article to back it up!!
Owen is no doubt a top quality striker. UTD will play him, Rooney and Berbatov in at least 25 games this season, its a squad game now a days. Owen can come of the bench and make an impact and play against the likes of Pompey, Stoke etc and score you goals.
The only concern is that he may get injured, but lets face it UTD signed Hargreaves, Saha, Van Nisterooy for alot of money and there all injury prone.
Owen will no doubt sign for us for minimal wages as the prospect of playing for UTD could bring him Silverware, and maybe just as important for him, a chance to play in the next World Cup. Fabio will have a look at him like he said, if he is playing and performing well. With great service he will get you goals.
There is no point him going to a club which wont give him the ball. his record for Newcastle was good, just never played.
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The moment I read about the possibility of Owen coming to MU last night, I was jumping around the room like a wild unleashed animal.
Not because he is the best striker in the world, Its because that is what United need at the moment, IMO.
We do not need another £30m striker because that would be bad for the team morale, and at the same time we needed someone who can knock in the goals.
If we really want to spend £30m odd quid, Id rather see a playmaker, or a left.right winger like aguero.
Assuming rooney, berbatov, and the 2 kids get injured, I can just imagine anderson playing behind owen! Who knows they'll both start scoring hat tricks.
And assuming he gets injured for the rest of the season. Assuming. We still have 2 young strikers, or Sir Alex could revert to 4-4-3, with the other 2 strikers being left and right wingers.
The world doesnt revolve around 2 strikers. Technically last year, rooney wasnt.
PS: Ive just had an opportunity to watch Tosic on Utube. Hint is, he was substituted for ronaldo on his first debut appearance, and he carried no.11 in the reserves and in Partizan. Maybe SAF, has already found someone to replace giggs, and ronaldo, or both...=)
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I really cannot understand most Man Utd's blind love and worship of Carlos Tevez.
I hate the idea of 'workrate' as an attribute being placed above skill. Tevez had a lot of running but lacked quality in front of goal. Owen has less running but is deadly in front of goal. Give me a cold blooded marksman over a blood and thunder bundle of energy any day of the week.
The disease in this country is that we produce players with a lot of strength, power, fitness but lack technique, footballing intelligence and technique. It is why we have failed on the international stage for over 40 years.
Owen possesses the latter set of attributes. Running around like a headless chicken should be eradicated from the English game or reserved purely for midfield destroyers, whose purpose is to break-up the game.
A striker should score goals, first and foremost.
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haha, Owen is really past it. He is more injury prone than Saha. If clubs like Stoke and Blackburn don't want him why should Utd get him? Hes lost everything his pace, skill, gets shrugged off the ball and i think he has lost his finishing ability aswell. Bad move, they should go for Fabiano or Etoo instead.
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I think that this is the shrewdest bit of business done in the last decade. Ronaldo has already peaked, Tevez has shown by the nature of his departure that he lives on a different planet? His contractual links make him look to be as dodgy as an Arthur Daley hatchback, yet he shows nothing but surprise and betrayal when Man Utd take their time setting up a deal? That has to beggar belief?
Owen is an enigma. Brilliant on his day but as brittle as bone china? Still we have all seen players with such injury prone lives suddenly become tougher than a Marine Drill Sergeant? I think that this is Owen's real time to shine and as long as he doesn't end up sitting next to Owen Hargreaves I reckon he could become something really remarkable? Time will tell?
I wish him well for next season.
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Great news for Liverpool. Hope he signs. As for the comments made about being an ex-Red....well he showed his loyalty to us when he walked for next to nothing. He is the only player I have seen booed on his return to Anfield, which speaks volumes as to how he's regarded by the real fans at Liverpool. So his return this year in a Utd strip after being relegated the season before will be one not to miss!!!!
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harry_lall wrote:
As England fans we should all applaud this move. A fit and goal scoring Owen is better than Heskey/Crouch all day long.
Fergie could be doing the nation a massive favour!!
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micheal owens goal scoring record when hes played with heskey is 14 in 14,so dont underestimate heskeys importance to england.
micheal owen needs a big man along side him to shine.
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@ NikosBg
#146
Dear oh dear Nikos,
You're as predictable as the Spanish league.
How many brain cells were used to produce post 146?, it seems very similar to post 119, but maybe that's just me in all my delusion.
I personally prefer a Big 4 'and everyone else' to a Big 2 'and everyone else'
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A reflection on how far football has lost touch with reality that Owen is 'worth a gamble' at 'only' £50,000 a week....thats £2,600,000 a year.
About 92 x the average national wage, and full pay whenever he has a sickie!!
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There's no way Rafa would have ever bought Owen back. He's too slow, too injured, too fat, and he doesn't contribute anything to the team play. Without a big target man, which Man Utd don't have, Owen will scored very few goals. That's if he's ever fit...
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"So is this a sign of desperation creeping into United's transfer dealings or another piece of inspiration from the gambler Ferguson?"
It amazes me that some people think that just because United have lost out on some big name signings that all of a sudden there is desperation coming into Ferguson's transfer dealings. Yes Fergie has gambled on a few signings over the years which didn't work, Massimo Taibi and Juan Vreon to name a few, although in Veron's case I think it was just the English game that didn't suit him as he didn't manage to ut it at Chelsea either.
However, people should remember that quite a number of years ago United were in a very similar situation when there were big names that they lost out on but Fergie turned around and signed an unknown Norweigan named Solksjaer and was considered to be taking a huge gamble on Dwight Yorke. I think we all can agree that these two signings turned out to be very successful.
Of course there is the worry about Owen's injuries and that obviously would be a massive gamble but with United being such a big club they have excellent medical staff who will rule to roost over Owen's fitness and I'm sure Ferguson will not sign him if there is even the slightest chance that it could cause problems in the future.
However the is also the chance that this "gamble" could turn into another one of Ferguson's inspired decision and if he can get the best out of Michael Owen then it could well turn into an excellent bit of business again for United.
I am obviously "slightly" biased being a United fan but as a football fan in general if this transfer does go ahead I wish both of them the very best and think it will be great for both parties involved.
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As a Liverpool fan I will be very disappointed to see Owen go to Man U. I understand he is trying play for England again and prove he still has it and I wouldn't of minded Liverpool going in for him again.
On the other hand Man U have sold Ronaldo and Tevez has gone. They have brought in Valencia and possibly Owen as replacements! Their rivals will be rubbing their hands with glee. Especially with how many times last year Ronaldo and Tevez got them important goals or set up the important plays for the important goals. Now they have lost that lets hope they also lose their grip on the league.
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willmajor_ctfc wrote:
Just a little reminder to all Liverpool fans addressing the potential Owen deal as desparate, ill-advised and nostagia fuelled of two words - Robbie Fowler. I personally think that SAF is taking a well calculated gamble just as Phil Suggests I think other United fans need to face facts - the big, big names are unlikely to move to anywhere but Madrid as they are the buzz team after capturing Ronny and KaKa and it looks like Benzema - Villa - Unlikely to move abroad, Luis Fabiano - What does he really offer? He is over-rated because he's Brazilian! Ibra - Not likely to swap being superstar at Inter and the highest paid player in the world for the challenging and unrelenting pressure of the Prem, Aguero - My personal favourite as he is young and has potential but I think SAF would want to see more of him before he brings him to OT and thrusts him into Ronnys boots - Low-key replacements are what we need because there is no expectation on them - Berba came with a massive price tag and great expectations and he has struggled - replace the ego of Ronaldo with the work-rate and commitment of Valencia and the goalscoring 'treat' of Tevez with Micheal Owen and I think these players will have something to to prove not to the media or the fans but to themselves - and thats what real desire is
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what are you talking about???fabiano is a great striker,you obviously havnt seen him play for brazil.
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I agree with Barca Baggie Phil, you are extremely pro United and it shows in every post. Just a comment not a criticism, great posts every week!
But this seems like good business to me for United, depending on his injuries and fitness. However I dont think this will solve anything near the loss of missing Benzema, they need a class act asap.
I wudnt mind if they didnt find anything though!! :P
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I think it is good business (this year). Man U have spend 30-40M each year but the market has gone daft with Man City and Real Madrid. New world beaters will materialise this year and will be much more affordable when Man City and Real Madrid are done.
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It could work and it's an opportunity for Owen to make something of his career now!
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McNulty
Man United fan.
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To Winnerpool...fair comment about the number of goals Liverpool scored last season, but who do you think are the natural striking replacements for Torres?
Rafael Benitez and others have suggested Liverpool might have won the title had Torres not been injured for so long. This, to me, suggests the back up was not good enough. Babel? Ngog? Not for me.
On Owen, for all the supporters of Everton and Aston Villa may have complained, I believe the majority would have welcomed him in an instant.
And did anyone outside Stoke or Hull expect Owen to end up there? I'm not so sure.
Those two clubs made hugely creditable contributions to the Premier League last season, Stoke in particular, but I never thought for a second Owen would be playing at either of those clubs in the forthcoming season.
This is not to say they shouldn't try to sign Owen, but I always felt it was a forlorn hope and so it has proved.
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I believe Liverpool are short of real attacking quality after Fernando Torres.
I think we are in need of a back up but as a previous poster states we were the top scorers in the league last season.
Surely that makes us the best attacking force?
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I would like to place a bet on Owen starting more games that Ronaldo next season, any bookies here to start the market?
One thing AF has always got right is ditch a player when they have a hernia problem and take a player who has "sorted" out other injuries (apart from Owen Hargreaves). Hernia injuries seem to take much longer to mend than people reckon as the player often gets referred pain and associated problems especially with the back and hamstrings, Gerrard for example.
I'm confident Michael Owen can start games for United and form a partnership with either Rooney or Berbatov and score goals. At least he will now get opportunities in the penalty area unlike at Newcastle.
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A very good signing. It would be even better if it is a "pay as you play" deal. Man Utd doesn't need Owen to play 90 minutes every game but to play last 15 minutes for 20-30 games to turn games around.
Surely Michael Owen knows joining Man Utd and training with Rooney everyday is probably his only opinion that he might have a chance to get picked in the next World cup squad.
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I have a heard an unconfirmed rumour that Sir Alex has got Ian Rush at OT as we speak. If he passes the medical then Rush and Owen will be a deadly combination up front.
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I reckon he's got him in for his horse racing knowledge!
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Middlesborough paid at least £12million for Alfonso Alves if im not mistaken. By that rationale, Michael Owen on a free is a steal.
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Personally i think this is good business. If he stays fit then Owen will score goals, he will only be a squad player but on a free transfer they have nothing to lose. If he is injured then he can swap hospital stories with Hargreaves!
Am a Liverpool fan and would have loved him back at Anfield, again only as a squad player. In the current climate a player of his ability for nothing has to worth a gamble.
I know alot of people are saying he has lost it blah blah blah but he has always scored goals and if fit then i think Man U fans will be happy. I think Man U are going to struggle this season and if the pool can keep hold of Masch and Alonso then we have got a great chance of dominating, for once we could be starting the season with almost the same line-up as we finished and that has gotta have the rest scared!
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I think we could all be thanking Mr Ferguson when we see a fully confident Michael Owen starting up front for England in the world cup. I really feel all Michael Owen needs now are actual goalscoring chances, something he is bound to get at Man U and something he never got at Newcastle. Once he's banged in a few we could get to see the Michael Owen of old and just in time to partner Rooney up front for England. Looks like it will be the bargain of the season!!
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Phil, you said "Try as you might, it is impossible to detect a downside in this deal for Owen." A little later, you admitted "it is unlikely he will be thrust into United's side as a regular." There's your downside. At Everton or Villa he would have started every game if fit.
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Just to clarify an earlier post I left at 10.25am saying that owen was not a good role model - you have to look at his work ethic.
I have seen him training up in newcastle - particularly when Shearer decided to have his open training session at St james park and what was remarkable was that he looked more lethargic than in the matches where he was like a ghost a lot of times last season. Yes, when he is in good form he can score and lift a team but for youngesters coming through United seeing a player like that isn't going to inspire them. Also Rooney I assumed this would be the year Rooney would finally get played through the middle but there's fat chance of that if Owen gets a start.
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With Rooney on the ball, Owen wont necessarily need his pace an lets get it right, Bobby Charlton is faster than Berba, we just need Owen to scrape arround the box for scraps an bang em in, im excited about this, Fergie is a mastermind, the Godfather, he rarely gets it wrong....IN FERGIE WE TRUST!!!
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Two things.
Its sad that Owen seems to landing on his feet after being part of a regime that let down so many fans in the North East, there really is no justice but thats football these days.
Would Fergie have gone for him if his Summer ins and outs were not going so pear shaped ?
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Ferguson is trying to find a Van Nistelrooy but he wont find him in Owen. All i can say is that i am pleased he has his eye on an english striker. Makes a good change.
Reality is that if he wants anyone else (i imagine they will come from another country) he will have to pay over the odds and be taking just as big a gamble as he would be with Owen. So fair enough Fergie - although it seems improbable to work. Ridiculous that with 80million he still cant find a player he wants!
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Micheal Owen Hargreaves. "
Whilst laying side by side on the medical table, two world class sick notes become one hideous lop-sided four legged, two-headed butt-ugly".....ball winning goal scoring machine. The signing of the century. Do the ashes start next week............................................Summer is a desperate time.
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Re : WinnerPool ,
If my aunt had a pair of......etc
Perhaps if Liverpool had not scored so many lucky last minute goals the title would have been over in January.
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To add some tactical analysis to this debate about the potential success of this move (something the blogger should have surely done himself?!), Owen's dreadful lack of pace will be a huge problem.
Man Utd play swift attacking football, flowing moves spanning the length of field are common place, quick, direct counter attacks produce a lot of their goals. Owen's horrible lack of pace and acceleration, his mediocre touch, average link up play and limited passing mean he will not be able to adapt and fit in with Man Utd's style of play. It's all very well saying Man Utd create chances and Owen is a ruthless finisher, but he won't even be able to keep up with these flowing moves, let alone finish them.
For proof of this theory see Berbatov's first season at Man Utd, very disappointing from the slow, somewhat lazy forward. Owen will be no different, in the same way that Berbatov disrupted Man Utd's balance and flow (they were a lot less impressive last season compared with the two prior to it) Owen will do something similar but even worse as he cannot boast the same touch and vision of Berbatov.
Is it worth a punt? Well he's not going to come close to filling the void left by Ronaldo and Tevez so no, it's not. Ferguson should be focused on replacing those two, and maybe a holding midfield player and a goal keeper as well.
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He's not really trying o sign him......he just wants Madrid to gazump him.....his next target is Joey Barton apparently.........
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I have a lot of respect for Owen and believe when fit that he will always score goals despite his reduction in pace over the last injury ravaged years. Furthermore, I do not believe this move can be considered a gamble at all given that he is being signed for free, a gamble would be paying 10 million for Owen at this stage of his career. What they will get will be experience, professionalism and commitment and no doubt in such a creative team a fair share of goals, when he plays!! Therefore I would not be disappointed with this move if I were a Utd fan, it is clear he will give fergie more options with the quality he can provide.
However, I would be disappointed if I was Utd fan if no other big signings materialize. As at the end of the day they have lost Ronaldo, world footballer of the year, who is a 30-40 goals a season player, match winningly effective player and is his prime (as much as I hate him) and instead gained a winger from wigan, who although has lots of potential is relatively unproven and only scored 3 goals last season (although that was with wigan).
They have lost Tevez probably one of the most industrious, fittest striker in the game who has a knack for scoring important goals in his prime and gained Owen in the twilight of his career.
I have no doubt that Valencia will prove to be a quality long term player but for the immediate future of Utd, if they dont get some more big signings (i.e Real madrid run out of money)then I feel they will struggle to retain their crown this season and reach the final again of the CL.
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I think its very shrewd of SAF to go for this. He now has Owen for those additional games (CL and Cup runs) and at the same time deny Everton or Villa the opportunity to have Owen to play against him in a 'super-sub' status. There is no denying that off the bench Owen can be a seriously dangerous individual and it's my guess that is how Everton or Villa would have used him.
It's clever of SAF to have his cake and eat it...and at relatively little cost (for the Permiership).
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I Think Owen will be a good signing for man utd because he is free and we will only have to pay for his wages and that compared to a transfer fee is, well, very small. he is a goalpoacher, he needs passes from the midfield to score goals. When he was at Newcastle, the players were below average week in, week out and a below average team wont give Owen the chances he needs to create and score goals. The 10 goals he did score at Newcastle where created almost by himself; an individual effort.
So, I agree with you Phil; he may be one of the top summer signings this year.
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Phil loves United eh?
Like most people on here I reckon its definately worth a punt for nowt. Especially if he bangs a winner into the Kop.
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A great signing for a non top 4 club, but for United who has just lost their majority goalscorer I think not. Fergie has to give him time to settle in the team, and hence he is taking the place of another proven player in the 11. Plus he could be out for months with an injury, which he is prone to.
This is a good deal financially, in football terms it could be a disaster.
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So Owen is the new Sheringham. Like Tiabi was the new Peter Schmeichel I suppose.
Time will tell if he is the new David Bellion or the old Michael Owen but at least admit to yourself Phil that Fergie has, on more than one occasion, got it wrong.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
To Winnerpool...fair comment about the number of goals Liverpool scored last season, but who do you think are the natural striking replacements for Torres?
Rafael Benitez and others have suggested Liverpool might have won the title had Torres not been injured for so long. This, to me, suggests the back up was not good enough. Babel? Ngog? Not for me.
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Fair point raised about Torres being missing for too long costing us the title Phil.
On the natural striking replacements, I believe that Babel is a diamond in the rough and would create the same problems that Torres creates (albeit without Torres'finishing abilities). From what I've previously seen of Babel, he's a good finisher, however. Kuyt would also do a good job as a striker and his movement would compliment a player like David Silva along with Benayoun, Alonso and Gerrard who can play those little defence-splitting balls.
I also believe that Liverpool's attacking talent is now stronger than Utd's at the moment.
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I don't know if this is a good deal for Utd or for Owen...but if a deal is signed, it proves what I've suspected of late: there's no point in fans getting worked up over rivalries with other clubs, because the players themselves will go anywhere that'll offer them a career boost, regardless of past loyalties.
Cashley to Chelsea, Owen to Utd, and (if rumours are to be believed) Tevez to City.
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Don't really see why the word gamble is being used so often.
No transfer fee and i doubt that Utd have had to offer him a particularly high wage to tempt him.
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I'm excited.. the only reason Owen hasn't be able to perform is because of injury and at the same time fighting relegation. I can only see Owen overcoming his injuries and forming a quality partnership with Rooney.
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Only SAF can explain the reason for this signing bearing in mind we (MANU) are yet to come to term with last season huge money signing of Berbatov who is yet to make reasonable impact. May be SAF enjoys this rivalry between us and liverpool a lot, as signing Michael Owen will ignite the rivalry the more.
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Having been annoying my mates with tales of just how good Owen would still be at a "Big 4" club I am feeling quite smug about this move.
I'm fairly sure that with constant and decent service Owen will score a truckful of goals. The problem for him in recent years has been an inability to fashion his own chances due to his fading pace. With the vast supporting talents of Utd around him I think he could power them to another league title.
All in all it's win win for both sides. Owen gets a final crack at the big time (and you can bet Capello is smiling right now) while Fergie gets a top class striker for nothing. If it doesn't work out it's hardly a Veron situation in terms of money wasted. I'm sure he'll buy in some further cover in case of injuries anyway.
Good stuff Fergie, now it's up to Owen to show us he can still beat Sir Bobby's England record.
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192. At 12:19pm on 03 Jul 2009, Winnerpool wrote:
...The myth that Liverpool are totally reliant on Torres and Gerrard needs to stop. The 4 point swing is due to the rub of the green, little details that separated us from Utd.
If Gerrard scored the free kick against Stokw at Anfield, we would have won (extra 2 points). If Gerrard didn't hit the post in the last minute at Stoke, we would have won (extra two points). If Mascherano had cleared the ball against Arsenal at Anfield, it would have been 4-3 (extra 2 points). If Macheda didn't stik out his foot, Utd may have drawn with Sunderland (Utd two less points).
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Oh dear me sounds a little bitter to me. The best team won the league. liverpool had their own luck. going by your logic if Giggs hadn't messed up clearing the ball at anfield and Vidic hadn't had a mare at OT we may have won by alot more points!! Rub of the green evens out. And whats all this about rueing missed chances against stoke....surely you can beat them comfortably can't you!!
On to Owen, the many saying he is past it may be right. The point is though, as alot of others are saying, that it is a gamble worth taking.
I'm pleased that it looks like he is signing.
Free transfer with just wages to pay. Given the same amount of games I'm sure he would outscore Tevez, Berbatov and possibly Rooney. He may not give as much to the team as those 3, but his potential for finishing alone is surely worth having in the squad as a free.
I am sure 90% of the liverpool fans pretending to laugh at this transfer would be the same fans who would have rejoiced had it been liverpool he was rejoining!
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A years salary on 50k a week still adds up to £2.6 million a year salary, and let's be honest, 50k a week I would imagine is the very least Owen will be demanding. Oh, then there's the add ons of expenses for the manc physios having to work a bit of overtime for him. To me it's most definitely a gamble and even in the best of circumstances for the contract to be sorted out I'm still not entriely sure it's worth it.
Despite being a Liverpool fan I do believe you lot would be better off giving Macheda some more match minutes any time Berbatov or Rooney need a rest. As far as using Owen as a backup/impact striker... Who's to say he'll even be fit for that? Time and time again Owen seems just as capable injuring himself in training as he is on the pitch. Sorry to make that all sound so negative but this blog seems pretty blindly optimistic without REALLY scrutinising all his injuries, I'd even say they're becoming more frequent.
Who knows, maybe he will grab you a few goals this season, but for all the digs I've been hearing about Liverpool being so heavily indebted, I'm starting to wonder if this move for Owen isn't a way of disguising that the Glazers have pocketed most of the £80 million for paying off the debts.
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What is the Rooney Owen goal scoring ratio? I think I read somewhere it was nearly 2 goals a game. Which at International level is fantastic. So why is this a stupid move. Owen is a quality player who played for a lousy team and got dragged down. I think this will transform his career.
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I repeat: Barca & Real will either be laughing their socks off or nodding their heads in contempt. Imagine for a second how you lot would feel if you were in their shoes as things stand.
United were only recently humiliated by Barca with 2 basic defenders absent and 2 players 60% fit. They also struggled against a limited Porto side, and their squad for 09-10 looks set to be at least two notches worse off. Real -from an admittedly average starting position- sign Huntelar, Kaka, Ronaldo, Albiol, Benzema and it ain't over yet, and will have Diarra and RVN back as effectively new signings, creating almost a shiny brand new world class squad; United in comparison get rejected by 2 out of their only 4 quality players and then go for Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen. Frightening.
Valencia, a guy with no real reputation accross the borders and totally unproven at a high level, enough said. Owen, a Real Madrid reject when at his peak, the guy who despite his hype towards the end of the season could not get in the starting lineup of a team that got relegated to the Championship. I stress, not based on lack of fitness, how many years does one need to recover from the worst of injuries, but lack of quality alone. The guy whom Obe Martins made look second rate, season ticket holders will probably assure you. The guy who once had the easiest of volleys in front of goal and his technique was so poor that he somehow managed to make the ball go backwards (can't find it on youtube). The guy who can't get on the bench of a country that doesn't really have more than a handful of strikers of note.
As things stand, in United's squad apart from Vidic who was shakey towards the end of the year, and Rooney who has netted 12 league goals in each of the last 2 seasons, there is absolutely nothing to trouble any top European opposition. The rest of the 'big 4' can be pleased for their increased domestic chances but they don't seem to make much progress for the European front either. The press can say all they like to keep their business going, it doesn't matter a jot. But there are limits to putting a brave face on, having a positive stance and justifying oneself. If the latest sequence of events do not make true United fans feel disappointed and let down, if not jealous and embarrassed, then in all honesty nothing ever will.
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to be honest Owen really isnt worth the gamble for us fergie's losing his judement a bit an i think that was clearly reflected in his tactics as well as team choice against Barca and the fact that he let the most promissing young striker go to madrid for 35mil when he had 80mil to spend. i'm starting to doubt wherthere or not he's going to be allowed to spend much of that cash.
back to Owen, if he works great but the last time an english club signed an old striker it didnt turn out well for a certain chelsea fc and mr sheva. at least we'er not paying 30mil but after wages it wont be much less than that by the end of the season.
BTW Phil using the words "logic" and "instinct" in the same sentence is ridiculous. surley it has to be one or the other...
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How can you sell Cristiano Ronaldo, let Carlos Tevez walk out the door and then turn to this washed-up has-been for the answers? Michael Owen is a broken down, injury-prone waste of money...even at this knock-down price.
This is a diabolical move.
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Rock on Phil!
Just ignore the bitter Newcastle fans :P
As a Man United I'm pretty pleased with this signing, if Owen is getting a small wage and it's related on performances then that's a win win for everyone involved.
I actually think this is exactly what Man United need to do, we need to buy a few older players like Pavel Nedvd, Patrick Vieira and Ruud Van Nistelrooy & Michael Owen.
All of those players are top class players and proven players too, also it could give us time to unearth a few young players with loads of talent over the next year or two. At least that would mean no panic buys which is what we need to avoid.
The biggest problem with big money signings is the weight of expectation that comes with a massive transfer fee. Just look at Dimitar Berbatov for an example last season. Fans become disappointed if a player does not live up to their massive transfer fee which just puts more pressure on the player.
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Worth every penny of the transfer fee
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The great man likes his lame ducks - kept Saha ahead of Rossi, keeps berbatov instead of Tevez. Worth a gamble - sure, if it's a pay as you play deal but hardly solves United's problems
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
"One or two interesting posts from Liverpool fans here. Has Rafael Benitez missed a trick by not getting Owen back on a free transfer?"
No.
The man is past it - you know it, I know it, the whole football world knows it, which is why he was receiving bids from, no disrespect, Hull and Stoke.
Then Ferguson wades in with a move that's so politically motivated it's embarrassing and you do the biggest U-turn in the history of these blogs.
It's understandable that some Liverpool fans aren't at all happy with this move, but they shouldn't be at all surprised - Owen has kicked them in the teeth twice already.
It's also quite striking that while an ex-Utd player has recently shown respect to that team's fans by ruling out joining their most hated rivals, Owen has spat in the face of the people who used to idolise him.
But I suppose Ferguson does have to gamble, considering the string of top players who have treat the very thought of moving to Old Trafford with such disdain that the club has had to resort to paying massively over the odds for an average Wigan player and now this.
Looks like that £80m is going to be paying off debts, after all.
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I don't see any downside for Man Utd. Maybe Owen is finished, maybe he isn't - it hasn't cost anything to find out. But if he isn't then SAF has just picked up a world class finisher for free. One thing is for sure - he'll get a lot more chances than at Newcastle and I have a funny feeling he'll still be able to put a lot of them away.
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I agree with the statement "every signing is a gamble", In the end the supply will be there for Owen to score goals so theres no reason why Owen can't prove to be a decent signing, 65 starts 30 goals at Newcastle, decent goal to start ratio, but I do realise 65 starts in 4 years is poor. Now I firmly believe that Berbatov will come good this season, and score goals along with Rooney and Owen, so goals should be there. I do however think UTD will revert back to being a team opposed to a one man show (they'll have too),so watching UTD next season will be different than the previous 2 seasons.. I say bring on Owen along with a ball winning Keane type Figure.
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I am sorry but i don't share the mancs optimism, i personally think they would really struggle this year, they need to buy another central midfielder, and another attacking midfielder, nani,park,giggs,tosic,valencia, am not convinced. as for owen he'll only be fit for say 20 man utd starts this season, if he is the player he is he'll score say 13 goals, that takes care of carlitos goals,but ronaldo scored about 90 goals in 3 seasons. owen is ok, but he is just a decent buy, another united firstXI who won't get into the top 6 teams starting XI. the mancs seem to forget that ronaldo disguised the totally poor team man utd had and has
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that,s certainly a weird move this one, i don't understand it very well.
Normally Utd is buying promising players to sell them later to Real Madrid..
I also heard they are close to finalize an agreement with the spanish club, now aside of nurturing players for them, they will also do the scouting, so deals like Benzema,s could happen quicker.
Paul, as you are usually well informed about Utd. Affairs, can you please confirm this?
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A few points:
Firstly: if this has to pre-moderated can they not do something useful like weed out the illiterates and the caps lock lovers.
Secondly: The reason why Hull taking Owen is a greater risk than United taking him is that he would (probably) want a higher wage there to assuage his ego and even if he took the same deal he would be using up a greater proportion of the funds available for wages.
Thirdly: Two of the reasons that overseas players are going to Spain and not here are 50 per cent tax rate here against 23 per cent there and the weakness of the pound against the euro.
Lastly Winnerpool just how many final pieces of the mythical jigsaw have you had and how many do you want
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It appears to me Manchester United fans, and seemingly 90% of the media can count themselves one, have stuck their fingers in their ears and watched re-runs of Germany 1 - 5 England and World Cup 1998 and come to the conclusion this is a great bit of business.
Why don't you listen to the Newcastle fans? They are, pardon the pun, spelling it out in black and white that Owen is injury prone, lost his pace, disinterested and ironically, as it appears to be the basis of Phil's and others' arguments, he has not been the "natural goalscorer" for the 4 years he's been with them.
Owen was available for the last several Newcastle games. To put it bluntly (as I watched most as they were on Setanta), he ambled about, missed a load of sitters and was promptly dropped. Even former strike partner and friend Shearer, who had said "We need a fit Michael Owen to score goals", dropped him.
Yes, he is on a free and at comparatively low wages but this is an enormous gamble that I doubt will pay off. Also, some posters say "a great deal for both parties and of course we will add another top quality striker" - do you not see the problem here? You add an Aguero or Huntelaar and Owen will be a 4th choice, frustrated, striker who may play if it just so happens that 2 players are injured and he is fit. Not good for Man United or Owen or England. Yet of course the media have spun it completely vice-versa.
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To add to my previous maths, I forgot to factor in a signing on fee he'll probably wanting, somewhere in the region of 2 million I reckon so this supposed "free transfer" is still going to cost United somewhere in the region of £4.6 million to keep your physios busy. Least he can keep Hargreaves company.
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Considering he's a free transfer it's not that big of a gamble but it's reported he was on wages of £120,000pw at Newcastle and IMO he's only worth half that.
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I think this is brilliant move by fergie, playing with quality players will only boost michaels confidence and he will start scoring again.
I am so pleased for him considering the run of luck he has had lately
I think he would be more than able to replace tevez quite similar goal poachers actually
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I think Michael Owen still has something to offer to Premiership and International football. It's a sad tale of the demise of one of football's true stars, through injury. With the quality within the Manchester United squad I think he could flourish, as much as it pains me to say it as a Liverpool fan. Shrewd piece of work Sir Alex
http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2009/07/michael-owen-manchester-united-transfer/
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Is it really a gamble if United don't have to pay a fee (unless there is a signing on one, which would be very cheeky by Owen) and they will pay him far less wages than he was on at Newcastle but will instead give him bonuses for appearances and goals? Win-win all round for both United and Owen.
United gets a proven goalscorer with an eye for goal.
Owen should get regular football again, will be surrounded by quality players and will have an incentive to stay fit and score hatfuls.
Certainly a story out of left-field but will certainly be interesting to watch next season if it comes off.
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This is a situation which, lets be honest, Fergie probably wouldnt have envisaged a month or two ago, especially with players like Benzima and Villa on the market. However, I really dont see what the problem is with this deal a free transfer for a proven goal-scorer who still has plenty of potential. Why the heck not take a punt on him?! Fergie is a canny old fox, and him more than anyone else will be able to get Owen back to his best. All I hope is that this wont be the last of our transfer dealings this season, as we still need cover for Ronaldo, as well as another forward.
To all the posters mocking United and this transfer surely if history has taught you one thing, its not to doubt the intelligence and instinct of Alex Ferguson. Your mocking post will more than likely comeback to haunt you come May!
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91. At 11:11am on 03 Jul 2009, CitySlicker86 wrote:
Very irritating this - a week ago people were saying he wasn't worth a gamble for Hull, but now he's worth a gamble for United?
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Hull would need him to start nearly every match to justify his wages, the reason Big Sam didn't go for him. At any other team with more financial clout he is worth having even if he's only fit half the season.
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All top goalscorers need to be in a good team, a luxury Michael Owen has not had since he left Liverpool. He'll certainly score goals at Man U; keeping him fit will be the big problem. 68 starts in 4 years at Newcastle was not good enough. The long periods of injury were bad enough, but it seemed to take him five or six matches to become match-fit again after each injury.
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Bit of a no brainer. Manchester UTD have 4 strikers in Rooney, Berbatov, Welbeck and Macheda, the latter 2 having alot of potential and have shown in it in bursts. This season I think Fergie wants those 2 to develop and they couldn't do it if they had a another young player like benzema in front of them. Signing owen would mean those 2 can still develop as owen wont play every game. I don't know how many of you have read his brochure but he played attacking midfielder for newcastle last season, he had 27 shots and scored 8 goals, which is better than rooney's 87 shots and 12 goals in the premier league. Most importantly he's free. Its not a risk in a sense that he's not stunting the development of macheda and welbeck, he's not upsetting rooney or berbatov and the stats show he is still a deadly finisher. Good business and I think all manchester utd supporters shouldnt doubt there most successful manager in history.
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"To go back to Liverpool, I believe Liverpool are short of real attacking quality after Fernando Torres".
Phil - check out which team finished the season as top scorers will you. Then check out how many of those were scored by Torres. Give at least a small amount of thought to what you write please.
Regarding the rest of this debate, Owen might play and score goals, he might not. Bottom line is, we don't know yet. His four year NUFC career tells us he won't. Few would have championed his cause but because Fergie is tempted, all of a sudden it's a no brainer. Feeble minded sheep will agree.
Unlike UTD, LFC can't afford to take a punt as they can't afford those wages going down the drain if he's injurred. They did that with Harry Kewell for far too long; another talent who spent season after season on the treatment table.
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"I'm Phil McNulty and I'm BBC Sport's chief football writer. I cover the biggest, best, most interesting and most hotly-debated sport in the world."
You missed a vital ingredient in your modest introduction - should be: "I cover Man Uniteds..."
Theres no debate here - any decent player going for free is worth the gamble.
How many of your articles are dedicated to Man U Phil? Looking for their spokesman job? I mean if Man U picking up a couple of reasonable-at-best players is the "biggest, best, most interesting and most hotly-debated" news in current football then I do feel pity for the sport...
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272. At 1:29pm on 03 Jul 2009, mccollio09 wrote:
To add to my previous maths, I forgot to factor in a signing on fee he'll probably wanting, somewhere in the region of 2 million I reckon so this supposed "free transfer" is still going to cost United somewhere in the region of ?4.6 million to keep your physios busy. Least he can keep Hargreaves company.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kia? Kia Joorabchian?
Don't give up the day job pal.
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Getting £80m for Ronaldo and let Tevez go to bring Valencia and Owen?
What a disappointment! I'm not sure what's going on with Sir Alex F. but unless he's got his eyes somewhere else we will not see any title this season.
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About 90% of the posters on here that are in favor of Owen can't stop spouting about how it's great business because he will come on a free. I'll guarantee one thing, I bet United never reveal the details of Owen's contract. Imagine you're the person who has to pay his £2 million signing on fee and his £2.6million a year (minimum, unless Phil knows 100% for sure that he'll be on 50k a week) wages and medical bills.
There's no such thing as free in football, if there was then yes, this is a good signing. As I stated earlier I'd be more worried about what this represents for your transfer policy and where this £80 million has gone
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I for one thought Owen was a complete success at Real Madrid and was a shame he didn't continue there for longer.
Very very shrewd business by Ferguson yet again. Can't see Owen necessarily playing a full 90 minutes on a regular basis, but my guess is he'll be thrown on to add spice to the attack and revitalise the game plan.
Good move.
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I have good money on Owen retiring from football completely by the end of the coming season. Not even Man Utd's medical team will keep him off the physio bench for long, this is just a way for Owen to leech some more money from another club. Alan Shearer has as much chance of making the 2012 squad as owen does.
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@37 "In the five seasons since Owen left Liverpool - the 'business' end of his career, you might say - he's scored 44 goals. 44 divided by five equals less than ten goals a year. The stats for Carlos Tevez in the same period of time? 57 goals in five years. Given how his tally last season was hampered a lot by the arrival of Berbatov (14 in the season before the Bulgarian arrived, 5 in the one he was there) and he spent a long amount of time in that West Ham season on the bench, I think there's a little paradox in the argument about Tevez not being potent but Owen being 'a natural goalscorer'."
Owen's career statistics are an average of 24 goals in a 50 game season (1 goal every 2.49 games). Tevez's career stats are an everage of 17 goals in a 50 game season (1 goal in every 2.898 games).
Over the last 3 seasons Owen's scoring rate is 1 in 2.826 games, Tevez's 1 in every 3.098 games. So Owen wins whatever way you look at it!
You can't just compare goals scored without relating them to playing time. The trick will be to keep Owen fit.
There's no gamble here. He won't be first choice unless he excels. Also, I don't know why some Utd fans are talking about Fergie signing another 'top' striker. Rooney and Berbatov will be first choice and will be far better without the Ronaldo factor. Owen, Welbeck and Macheda will provide the back-up.
One of the biggest problems last season was having 3 strikers. The ccnstant changing, including leaving 2 out to accomodate Ronaldo at times and playing the strikers out of position caused more problems than it solved and it showed.
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i feel sick.an ex-scouse sick joining man utd is exactly the opposite of what we want.ferguson has lost his marbles,someone sign him into a retirement home fast.
OWEN WAS GOING TO HULL FOR GODS SAKE!!!
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SAF is using the fact there is a world cup next year and out of the people not making the current england squad, we all know who's the one most desperate to make the big impression
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I can see owen bring used as an impact sub the same way solskjaer was. It gives fergie a different option up front and with united creating so many chances he's bound to score a few either coming from the bench or starting. If he stays clear of injury he could prove to be a shrewd sigining, however we still need to make a couple more big signings to compete on all fronts next year.
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To Darnby...good point about Owen at Real Madrid. He was in no way a failure and was very well regarded there. He was simply a victim of the constant desire for change at The Bernabeu.
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It's spooky... Two weeks ago I was discussing the prospect of Owen being signed by Man U with a work colleague who's a Red Devils supporter and we both came to the conclusion that it could be good business for both parties, particularly if it's on a basic salary and then pay-as-you-play and goal bonuses - it's a no-brainer in my opinion.
If any other Premier League Managers want advice on who they should sign then don't hesitate to contact me....
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its funny how some of the Liverpool fans are laughing. I've got one question for you, What will you do if Torres gets injured for ~3 months during the season? Use Ngog or Benayoun as your first choice striker? At least United will have Rooney, Berbatov and Owen to mix and match, with Macheda and Welbeck as last ditch. I wouldn't mind if we used our buy-back for Rossi, although I don't think he would want to play in England again...
You'll never win the league with only 1 first class forward
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i think this could be another stroke of genius from the master. however i do have something of a concern about owen. not so much his fitness but his first touch when receiving the ball back to goal. this is a big weakness for Owen. he is great running onto a through ball and poaching in the 6 yard box, but back to goal, first touch and passing are not great strengths and yet a key part of united's game.
in Fergie we trust though, the summer is just getting started.....
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i am surprised so many people are comparing Owen with Henry. Owen was at best two dimensional - pace and (perhaps) an eye for goal. Henry is much more multi-faceted - pace, trickery, vision (note his number of assists), free-kicks AND (perhaps) an eye for goal. Owen, without his pace is a poor imitation of the Owen with pace. Henry, without his pace, is still formidable.
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"A lot of people on the 606 forum have said that United can't get the best players and now have to settle for second best.
And I've stuck up for United, suggesting that that isn't the case at all. But now, I'm having to have to have a rethink.
Alex Ferguson has never in the past shown much interest in Owen. Now, when he's lost a yard of pace and spends most of his time in the treatment room, he wants to buy him."
There are many reasons that Utd have never paid an interest before, mainly due to the fact that owen has had to adapt due to injuries. Gone are the days that he sits on the last defender and beats the defence for pace on a through ball or a long ball, he no longer has the ability to do that. So what has he had to do? Adapt, he now is a typical fox in the box, relying more on chances that pop up in the 18 yard box. Utd never played a system before that would have incorporated a young owen, now his adapted game could just fit the bill if it all pulls off. One thing utd do lack is a natural predator who is a clinical finisher, Owen when fit, is just that!
Either way its a win win, im not a Utd fan, nor do i really like them (southampton fan here) but i would like to see Owen back fit and performing, iv liked the way he has adapted his game, i like the way that he was the golden boy of english football, and anyway, if he is fit, scoring freely, surely thats a good headache for Mr Capello to have?
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Can't help but see this as a great bit of business.
It may well backfire, but then there is a chance of that with any transfer. The transfer of Michael Owen to Manchester is dangerous, but the dangers are minimal compared to other high profile transfers involving ludicrous anounts of money. Worst scenario - He could be a shadow of the Owen of old, in which case Manchester united have lost a fair amount of cash on wages, but have enough funds to move on. Best scenario - Owen is rejuvenated (He is only 29) and plays like we know he can, in which case Manchester united have entered bargain city.
Many are saying that Ferguson should have forked out the millions for Ribery or Benzema, but faced with the pulling power of Real Madrid and the lack of reasonably priced decent prospects i think this is a clever and shrewd decision. Ferguson is holding on to his cash until the market drops or until his scouts discover a gem worth unearthing, at which point he will happily part with it in order to secure them.
Saying this, it hasn't been confirmed yet.
Lets wait and see.
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Is he that much of a gamble though?
Yes, he is older and has and probably always will be plagued with injury.
But if we are picking him up for free, on a reasonable wage he is a decent acquisition.
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Should have joined a big club
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