NO ESCAPE FOR MIKE ASHLEY

MIKE ASHLEY - struggle

MIKE ASHLEY could be in charge at Newcastle until the end of the season.

The Toon owner has told allies he is prepared to sit tight if the right offer does not come in by the end of the week, the deadline set by brokers Seymour Pierce.

Ashley has been warned he will struggle to find any investor ready to meet his £300million asking price in the current financial market.

He still wants out but will not be rushed into a quick sale.

And despite seeing the value of his shares in Sports Direct plummet he still has the financial strength to wait for a new buyer to emerge once the credit crunch starts to ease.

There are still would-be buyers, but City sources now doubt whether anyone will be prepared to pay so much while finance problems sweep the globe.

They say Newcastle is no longer considered the proposition it was a few weeks ago. With each day its standing has dropped.

Sanction

That will alarm Geordie fans, who now face the prospect of a January transfer window in which their struggling side will make no major signings. Newcastle are more likely to be a selling club.

Ashley's attempts to cut the wage bill in the summer led to the controversial departure of manager Kevin Keegan, who would not sanction any more sales.

JOEY BARTON - high earner

The Magpies have six players picking up more than £3m a year.

Top of that list is Michael Owen, who will be available for a knockdown £2m fee in January, when his contract will have just six months to run. Manchester City, one of the few clubs who can match his £110,000- a-week wages, could make a move.

There will also be fresh attempts to off-load big earners Alan Smith and Joey Barton.

And Oba Martins' future on Tyneside is also in doubt. The Nigerian striker is unhappy that a contract extension was blocked.

The uncertainty over the club's sale means Joe Kinnear's reign as manager is likely to be longer than the six games he was originally appointed for.

He could be in charge for the whole campaign and has made a second bid to bring in Gerry Francis to bolster his coaching staff.

Meanwhile, Ashley is ready to call a truce in his battle with Keegan.

Sport of the World has learned Keegan looks set to collect the £2m compensation he sought following his exit.However, that is unlikely to open the door for any return under the current United ownership despite this week's departure of vice-president Tony Jimenez.

This article has 1 comment