NEWCASTLE LAUNCH CLEAROUT
Mike Ashley hires agents to offload Martins, Coloccini and Co
NEWCASTLE bosses will appoint super agents First Artists this week to begin a sale of the mega-earners who got the club relegated.
The Toon have 15 players on more than £50,000 a week and the agency has been told to offload as many as possible.
I understand they will work closely with brokers Seymour Pierce in a bid to put the club in better shape for the two consortia looking to take control.
"They have offices all around the world," said a source. "They are seen as the ideal people to cut the playing staff. They are strong in Europe. The banks trust them."
First on the hitlist to go will be Obafemi Martins, Fabricio Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Jonas Gutierrez and Joey Barton. Newcastle are hopeful they can claw back £20m by releasing those five. Fiorentina want Coloccini, Atletico Madrid have asked about Enrique and Barton could end up at Portsmouth.
Fed-up St James' Park owner Mike Ashley promised bank chiefs last week that there would be a huge cull of a playing staff that costs £70m a year.
Sport of the World can reveal Ashley and Newcastle were given an extended overdraft by Barclays, although at a reduced rate from the original £40m facility, down to around £30m.
That will hasten a takeover which could be completed by next month. One party looking to take control from Ashley is American based and the other has North East businessmen at its core. Ashley will leave having lost £150m in two years.
This article has 3 comments
I am so pleased ! i Think Newcastle couldn't have got anyone better to blow the team and finances up. This si what was needed. A fresh start and a new future....
By Gary. Posted June 7 2009 at 10:29 AM.
Cheque please waiter...
Tim Lovejoy
Back of the net
1-0
Comeon lads
By John Lennon...Back from the Dead...Schmickles.... Posted June 7 2009 at 9:27 AM.
This dozy prat, Ashley is just continuin to blunder from balls up to balls up. Can the dozy dip stick not see that he's now about to lose Shearer because of his ditherin ways. What should have happened is install Shearer with a nailed on gaurantee that he stays, THEN put the club on the market. That way, Shearer would be in full posesion of all the facts, and able to consentrate on getting the players in to operate a FUNCTIONING team, that WANT to play for the shirt.
By Ray. Posted June 7 2009 at 2:12 AM.