Barton future still undecided
JOEY Barton is hoping to be back at Newcastle United for the first day of pre-season training – despite his latest assault conviction.
But the midfielder – who yesterday admitted assaulting former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo – could yet have his St James's Park contract terminated.
However, a report in a national newspaper today that Barton had already been sacked by Newcastle has been dismissed by a club official.
Instead, once Barton is sentenced later today, the source said United's top brass plan to sit down with his representatives to "discuss a way forward".
Jailed Barton – who has refused to take a 50 per cent pay cut – is expected to be given a suspended sentence for the Dabo attack, which led to his exit from the City of Manchester Stadium last summer.
The 25-year-old is now eligible for early release from his earlier sentence, and could leave prison with an electronic tag as early as today, allowing him to be back for the first day of pre-season training on Monday.
However, the release yesterday of CCTV images of the street assault in the early hours of December 27 in Liverpool could have hardened owner Mike Ashley's take on the situation, with the billionaire conscious of the damage the episode has done to the club.
Barton is also facing a backlash from supporters sickened by the attack, committed in the hours after he went AWOL after being left out of Sam Allardyce's side for the Boxing Day fixture away to Wigan Athletic.
Ashley wanted to halve Barton's weekly 60,000-plus wage packet as further punishment, something rejected out of hand by the Liverpudlian and his representatives.
United, as yet, have made no comment on either of Barton's convictions, but is expected to issue a short statement once sentence has been passed on the Dabo incident.
Barton was Sam Allardyce's No 1 transfer target last summer, and, as yet, Newcastle fans have seen just glimpses of why he spent 5.8m – including a 300,00 "loyalty" payment Man City were withholding from him – to bring him to St James's Park.
And Ashley effectively now has to decide whether to write off that sizeable investment, made in the last days of his predecessor Freddy Shepherd's tenure, by terminating Barton's five-year contract.
Such a course of action, however, would give manager Kevin Keegan – who pledged to stand by Barton, who is committed to receiving help from Tony Adams's Sporting Chance clinic in Hampshire, last season – yet another unwanted headache.
Keegan – still to sign a player this summer – has already lost four players since the end of the season, and he will be reluctant to lose another given his limited transfer budget.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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