Happy Face 29 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 MIKE ASHLEY must be black and blue rather than black and white ... after spending the past month kicking himself. Back in 2008, the Newcastle owner was told by then-manager Kevin Keegan that he'd spotted the perfect replacement for James Milner, who was on the brink of his 12million pounds move to Aston Villa. Keegan had lined up a deal to take Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger to St James' Park for just 3million pounds and a very reasonable by today's standards, anyway 30,000 pounds a week. But Ashley would not sanction the move and Schweinsteiger stayed at Bayern Munich. Confidential understands the Toon supremo's decision not to sign the playmaker was one of the factors in Keegan quitting the club. And how Newcastle must now regret not snapping up a player who was one of the standout performers in South Africa as Germany reached the semi-finals. The midfielder, 25, was brilliant as his side ripped England apart and then gave Diego Maradona's Argentina the runaround. http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/spo...02039-22403602/ The NOTW reported a club source at the time.... "Jimenez and Wise were on the trail of Sami Nasri, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Valmiro Valdo at Espanyol. They just lost out on Nasri to Arsenal and Schweinsteiger turned us down, even though he was offered £70,000 a week." http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/foot...rticle22169.ece I wonder who's telling the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Manson 0 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I find it hard to believe we were after Nasri. I also find it hard to believe that a player of Schweinsteiger's calibre would also be available for under 10 million, let alone for 3. Methinks there's porky pies aplenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 By the way, Schweinsteigers salary is still 3 million euros. About £2.5m less than £50k a week. It would have been a strange decision to turn down £70k 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 The story at the time was (no idea if it's true) that KK was told the club had lined up Schweinsteiger as Milner's replacement but it was never going to happen and was just as attempt to keep KK happy that Milner was being moved on. Don't think he'd have left Bayern Munich for us anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) I find it hard to believe that a player of Schweinsteiger's calibre would also be available for under 10 million, let alone for 3. He was having contract trounbles at the time and they'd hacve lost him on a free.... Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Wednesday he will fight to keep Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger when contract negotiations resume at the end of the month. The 24-year-old failed to agree terms with Bayern last May. Schweinsteiger has expressed an interest in playing overseas and broadening his horizons, and there will be no shortage of clubs interested in signing him. Sept 2008 Edited July 14, 2010 by Happy Face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 9937 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 It was nonsense back then when it was reported and I still think it is. There was nothing about Schweinsteiger leaving Bayern in the German media back then. There were rumours about some Italian clubs being interested IIRC with much higher fees quoted. But Bayern had just appointed Klinsmann who was a huge supporter of Schweinsteiger, so the move to Newcastle would have been really strange and really surprised everyone down here. I also remember a German journalist reporting from a strange call he got from a English journalist (from the Chronicle IIRC) wanting to know about Schweinsteiger moving to Newcastle as an ridiculous example of fabricated stories on deadline day. I think I have posted the link some time ago (probably when Baggio came up with the Schweinsteiger drivel in defense of Ashley & Co.). But I can't be arsed to look for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 To be fair though, we'd probably have missed out on Nolan if he'd come. It all evens out it the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4431 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I think the crime of telling Keegan we could sign him when it was a complete lie (I've always believed Isegrim on this) is a bigger crime than trying to sign him and getting some kind of cold feet as the op suggests. Lying about signings for me shows they were engineering Keegan's exit deliberately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Should have joined Rangers when he had the chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Still think this was completely made up to pacify Keegler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Castell 0 Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 The Pig Climber for £3m? That would have been amazing if it was true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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