Goalscorers, we are often told, are invaluable. That statement is about to be tested. On Jan 1, Michael Owen will be able to discuss a Bosman transfer with whomever he wishes.
Newcastle have belatedly offered a new contract, Owen has declared his desire to wait until the end of the season in order to make a "crucial" decision and Joe Kinnear has veered from pessimism to optimism.
With suggestions of interest from Tottenham, Everton and Manchester City, Owen is in demand. For him, however, the devil is in the details. Newcastle's offer entails a 25 per cent pay cut, but it is still more lucrative than the remuneration he could command elsewhere. Kinnear deemed Newcastle's "an excellent contract, considering what is happening around all football clubs." Multi-millionaires rarely attract sympathy in such circumstances, but the credit crunch is affecting Owen.
It is, in part, a consequence of Newcastle's exorbitant expenditure during his four-season spell on Tyneside. With a £17million (Dh92.5m) transfer fee and a wage in the region of £110,000 a week his eventual cost will amount to £40m. They may recoup nothing, and, as he has only mustered 46 league starts in three-and-a-half years, it is hard to argue that Owen has provided value for money.
There was a time when descriptions such as "national hero" went unchallenged. Now he can polarise opinion. This is a player who averages better than a goal every other start for each of his three clubs, but one who is infrequently fit. He has just turned 29, but his career peaked between the ages of 18 and 22. He is by far the leading goalscorer among the current generation of English strikers, but he is ignored by Fabio Capello. He is lauded, particularly by former players turned pundits, as one of the Premier League's finest players, but he has been ignored by the four dominant clubs.
Indeed, Rafael Benitez was quick to distance himself from speculation that Owen would return to Liverpool. In an era of lone strikers, often supported by attacking midfielders, Owen, at his happiest operating in tandem with a muscular target man, can appear an anachronism. Depreciating speed has increased a reliance on others. His predatory remain instincts intact, but his acceleration is no longer breathtaking.
A further issue is whether a player accustomed to having teams built around him, can adapt to a squad player's role.
The likelier scenario is that Owen stays at Newcastle. Their contract may represent the most generous available, but performance-related pay is less beneficial for those who spend much of the campaign on the sidelines. But the law of diminishing returns means fewer games results in a reduced income.
rjolly@thenational.ae
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
