Former England striker Michael Owen has revealed that his transfer to Newcastle United in 2005 was a career mistake, admitting he never wanted to join the club. In his autobiography, Owen states that his heart was set on a return to boyhood club Liverpool, but the move fell through due to Liverpool's inability to match Newcastle's £16 million offer.
Owen claims that Newcastle manager Graeme Souness called him roughly every two weeks for almost a year while he was at Real Madrid, but he should have been more direct about his intentions. 'Instead of straight-out saying: “If I come back to England, I’ll only be going back to Liverpool” – which was how I felt – I think I said: “I’ll come back to the Premier League and I’ll look at my options when the time is right,”' Owen wrote.
The striker described the move as a 'downward step' from a career perspective, though he acknowledged the financial package was 'indisputably' the best. Newcastle offered him £120,000 per week, which he accepted reluctantly. 'No Newcastle fan will particularly want to hear this but, as this book is about truth, that’s the honest truth,' he added.
Owen initially felt welcomed by fans, with 20,000 turning up to greet him at St James’ Park. However, his relationship with the supporters soured after he was knocked unconscious against Watford in 2006. 'When I got home, I switched on Match Of The Day to watch the game and I could hear Newcastle fans, my fans, singing “what a waste of money!” as I’m being stretchered off,' he recalled. 'Their actions that day changed things for me.'
The former Liverpool star spent four seasons at Newcastle, scoring 30 goals, before moving to Manchester United in 2009. He described the transfer saga as one of his major career regrets, saying he should have followed his gut instincts from the start.
