Will Alan Shearer take up Newcastle offer?
Newcastle United were still attempting to finalise a deal to secure Alan Shearer as their manager on Friday afternoon.
Owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias are keen to come up with a package which will persuade Shearer he will have the tools for the job.
However, until agreement is reached, supporters will have to remain patient in anticipation of what will be a crucial decision for the club’s future.
The club has already started to lay off staff – around 150 employees, many of them part-time, had earlier been informed their jobs were in jeopardy.
Shearer has already provided Ashley – whose Sports Direct International business on Thursday sold its directly-owned stake in JJB Sports for a small profit – with an outline of how he would want to approach the job.
He has explained how he would revamp a squad which proved ill-suited to the task of retaining Premier League status, despite a massive wage bill.
Any new manager would have to substantially reduce expenditure on salaries, which currently amounts to more than £70m.
Some big earners will inevitably leave as they look elsewhere for football at the highest level, although the prospect of cashing in on £10m striker Obafemi Martins if the club chose to do so would be hampered by a lingering groin problems which requires further surgery.
Others may have to stay if Newcastle cannot find buyers.
But if Shearer retains the job, the chances of controversial midfielder Joey Barton remaining on board are minimal.
The 26-year-old, a £5.8m signing from Manchester City, has been injured for much of his time at St James’ Park. He has also served a term in jail for common assault and affray, but it was his stand-up row with Shearer in the dressing room at Anfield after he was needlessly sent off in a 3-0 defeat by Liverpool on May 3 which proved the final straw.
Barton was banned from the training ground for the closing weeks of the season, and there is little appetite to see him return for pre-season training on July 1.
It is understood Shearer would look to offload him and his £60,000-plus-a-week wages as a matter of urgency.
Meanwhile, Newcastle full-back Jose Enrique admits he will have to consider any offers which come his way after enduring the longest year of his life.
The 23-year-old Spaniard, who has three years remaining on his contract, expects to resume his career in England in the Coca-Cola Championship following the Magpies’ relegation, but will look at his options.
He told Spanish Sports daily Marca: ”No-one likes to play in the Championship, but I’m only thinking about fulfilling my contract. The team has a great budget and I am sure that if they do things well from the beginning, we can create a team of the level of Aston Villa.
”I like the city and I am very happy in England, but that doesn’t rule out that I will study any offer that could arrive.Today, I see myself playing next season at Newcastle. At the moment, I’m focused on my holidays. It was a bad time for me and I need to relax. It’s been the longest year of my life.”
Whoever does eventually take over will have to drastically re-shape a weak, but expensive squad in an attempt to return to the top flight at the first attempt.
That is certain to mean high-profile departures, but Enrique is confident Shearer is the right man for the job.
He said: ”We have had four coaches this season, and there have been times when we haven’t even had a coach.
”Things have been bad since the first moment, but I hope everything will change for the best.
”I believe that with Alan Shearer on the bench, this change is possible.
”Since September, we could already see that it was going to be an uphill struggle for us.
”There were many big names in the dressing room, but something wasn’t working. There were many bad things from the beginning.
”We only won seven games the whole season and that, for a club like Newcastle, is very bad.
”If they leave Shearer in place, things will change for the better. He is a coach that can do something great for Newcastle, and they have to give him time.
”I think that if they let him work on a long-term project, he can do something very good for this team.”
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