Post by QPR Report on Feb 5, 2009 7:42:30 GMT
Given that Man City turned down an 8 million pound offer from Newcastle, the supposed QPR 2 million pound offer....
Guardian/Daniel Taylor
Johnson considering City future after missing Newcastle move• Midfielder was keen on St James' Park switch
• City rejected deal because Newcastle didn't meet valuation
Michael Johnson is giving serious consideration to his future at Manchester City only five months after signing a new five-year contract. Johnson, regarded as one of England's most promising footballers, would willingly have moved to Newcastle United on transfer-deadline day had an £8m bid not been turned down, and he is open to the idea of a deal being resurrected at the end of the season.
The likelihood of that happening is complicated by the current instability at St James' Park and the persistent doubts about who will be managing them next season, who will own the club and, first of all, whether they will still be part of the Premier League. Johnson, however, has other admirers in England's top division, predominantly Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal, even though the interest in him has waned during a challenging season in which he has been restricted to only three league appearances because of a persistent groin problem.
Johnson, who turns 21 later this month, had another injury setback last week and a frustrated Mark Hughes described the player's rehabilitation as "one step forward and two steps back". Hughes was instrumental in persuading Johnson to sign his last contract – Johnson had "wanted out" before Hughes's appointment as manager, according to the executive chairman, Garry Cook – but their relationship has been affected since then by a series of off-field issues.
City's management have become increasingly concerned about the player's apparent fondness for Manchester's nightlife and the frequency with which he has been seen in the city's casinos.
Hughes and his coaches are so concerned they have had several meetings to discuss how to bring Johnson into line. It does not reflect well on Johnson either that these issues date back to Sven Goran Eriksson's time as manager, when club officials let it be known that the England Under-21 international might be sold because of his alleged "big-time" attitude.
Johnson, however, believes it has been badly exaggerated, arguing that he has not broken any club rules or curfews, and he is alarmed about the way he has been portrayed. Roy Keane once described Manchester as a "village" because of its propensity for gossip, and Johnson is wondering whether it would benefit him to start afresh somewhere else – as one of his associates put it, to "get out of Manchester."
On a separate issue, he also has misgivings about the way his rehabilitation has been handled. Johnson has had pain in his lower abdomen for over a year and the problem has now been pinpointed to his pubis symphysis, for which there can be little treatment other than rest.
Whether Hughes would try to talk Johnson out of leaving for a second time remains to be seen, but it should not be considered a foregone conclusion.
Johnson's information is that Newcastle's bid was turned down because it did not meet City's valuation rather than, as was widely assumed, his current employers did not want to sell one of their best young players. The fact City had a valuation in the first place is, perhaps, a critical clue into the club's thinking.
The City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for kicking out at Rory Delap in the flashpoint which saw the Stoke midfielder sent off last Saturday. The offence was missed by the referee, Martin Atkinson, who has reviewed the incident and decided it was worthy of a red card. Wright-Phillips faces a three-game ban if found guilty at a hearing on Friday. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/05/michael-johnson-manchester-city-newcastle
Guardian/Daniel Taylor
Johnson considering City future after missing Newcastle move• Midfielder was keen on St James' Park switch
• City rejected deal because Newcastle didn't meet valuation
Michael Johnson is giving serious consideration to his future at Manchester City only five months after signing a new five-year contract. Johnson, regarded as one of England's most promising footballers, would willingly have moved to Newcastle United on transfer-deadline day had an £8m bid not been turned down, and he is open to the idea of a deal being resurrected at the end of the season.
The likelihood of that happening is complicated by the current instability at St James' Park and the persistent doubts about who will be managing them next season, who will own the club and, first of all, whether they will still be part of the Premier League. Johnson, however, has other admirers in England's top division, predominantly Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal, even though the interest in him has waned during a challenging season in which he has been restricted to only three league appearances because of a persistent groin problem.
Johnson, who turns 21 later this month, had another injury setback last week and a frustrated Mark Hughes described the player's rehabilitation as "one step forward and two steps back". Hughes was instrumental in persuading Johnson to sign his last contract – Johnson had "wanted out" before Hughes's appointment as manager, according to the executive chairman, Garry Cook – but their relationship has been affected since then by a series of off-field issues.
City's management have become increasingly concerned about the player's apparent fondness for Manchester's nightlife and the frequency with which he has been seen in the city's casinos.
Hughes and his coaches are so concerned they have had several meetings to discuss how to bring Johnson into line. It does not reflect well on Johnson either that these issues date back to Sven Goran Eriksson's time as manager, when club officials let it be known that the England Under-21 international might be sold because of his alleged "big-time" attitude.
Johnson, however, believes it has been badly exaggerated, arguing that he has not broken any club rules or curfews, and he is alarmed about the way he has been portrayed. Roy Keane once described Manchester as a "village" because of its propensity for gossip, and Johnson is wondering whether it would benefit him to start afresh somewhere else – as one of his associates put it, to "get out of Manchester."
On a separate issue, he also has misgivings about the way his rehabilitation has been handled. Johnson has had pain in his lower abdomen for over a year and the problem has now been pinpointed to his pubis symphysis, for which there can be little treatment other than rest.
Whether Hughes would try to talk Johnson out of leaving for a second time remains to be seen, but it should not be considered a foregone conclusion.
Johnson's information is that Newcastle's bid was turned down because it did not meet City's valuation rather than, as was widely assumed, his current employers did not want to sell one of their best young players. The fact City had a valuation in the first place is, perhaps, a critical clue into the club's thinking.
The City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for kicking out at Rory Delap in the flashpoint which saw the Stoke midfielder sent off last Saturday. The offence was missed by the referee, Martin Atkinson, who has reviewed the incident and decided it was worthy of a red card. Wright-Phillips faces a three-game ban if found guilty at a hearing on Friday. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/05/michael-johnson-manchester-city-newcastle