Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan has reiterated his support for Joey Barton as the midfielder prepares to leave prison.

Reports suggest the 25-year-old could be released from jail on 13th August after serving a six-month sentence for assault and affray.

His release would come four days before the Magpies open their Premier League campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but that game would come too soon for the player.

Keegan, though, is willing to give Barton - who was also handed a suspended four-month sentence earlier in July for an incident involving former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo - another chance.
Owen deal

Keegan told the BBC: “My view is to give him another chance and back him. He has served his sentence, he’s been punished for what he did wrong.

“The world is littered with people who deserve a second chance, got that chance and took it with both hands. I said I would stick by him and I intend to do that.”

Meanwhile, Keegan expects England striker Michael Owen to sign a new deal at St James’s Park.

“Hopefully, that will be sorted out within the next two or three weeks,” said Keegan when asked about Owen’s contract.

Ref From skysports.com

New Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola admitted to having an interest in Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but qualified this by saying that other players have caught his eye, too. In any case, it’s up to Txiki, not Pep…

The Guardian reports that Guardiola has admitted to keeping an eye on the Arsenal forward, not to mention Didier Drogba of Chelsea.

He said, “Barcelona are always interested in good players.”

However, this is not to be taken as a cast-iron guarantee that the blaugrana are to move for the Togolese or Ivorian.

“Those players are interesting but so are many others in England, Italy and Germany,” he warned.

In any case, Pep was quick to remind the newspaper that in Barcelona, as with most continental clubs, the first team coach does not take too active a role in transfer proceedings.

“You would be better to speak to the sporting director [Txiki Begiristain] about the exact situation,” he concluded.

Barcelona have already spent in the region of €88m on transfer fees alone this summer, although the recent income of €21m-up-front from AC Milan for Ronaldinho would surely aid them in the search for a new ‘number 9.’

Sport.es contends that Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur could also be a target, given that “England” was cited as a source of readily avialable “interesting” players.

At present Samuel Eto’o remains the default centre-forward, although it seems more than like that he will be sold before the end of the summer. Young Bojan Krkic is not to be rushed into first team duty, while Thierry Henry’s exact position is uncertain.

Ref From Steve Michaels, Goal.com

Marca claims that, even in light of Sepp Blatter’s declaration regarding clubs’ duties towards the Olympic Games, Barcelona have no intention of allowing Lionel Messi to go to the Far East…

Messi was named as part of Sergio Batista’s 18-man squad to contest the games in Beijing next month and as such was summoned to Japan for pre-tournament training.

Barcelona declined to send the youngster, stating that the Olympics were not a full FIFA contest and thus his attendance was not mandatory: they would rather keep him for the Champions League qualifiers.

FIFA president Blatter, however, stated in a letter to 205 national associations today that such actions were against the “spirit” of the games that clubs were “obliged” to release players who, like Messi, are under 23.

But Marca claims that Barça have no intention of acting just let. The letter was sent to the RFEF (Spanish FA), not their club; this, coupled with the face that the European Club Association (ECA) is sticking to its guns, has emboldened them.

The ECA stated today that as the tournament is still not part of the harmonised international calendar, Blatter’s words have no official weight.

The LFP (Spanish professional league system), having been alerted to Blatter’s standpoint by the RFEF, are also willing to take Barcelona’s side on this issue.

The club themselves have yet to formally comment since Blatter’s words came to light, although they have published on their official website notices relating to the LFP and ECA standpoints.

Steve Michaels, Goal.com