JOEY BARTON is expected to be offered one last chance by Newcastle United, but will almost certainly be required to accept a modest reduction in his salary and adhere to a strict code of conduct.
The Newcastle midfielder was yesterday given a four-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting Ousmane Dabo, a former Manchester City team-mate, following a training ground row in the spring of 2007.
Barton (25) is serving a six-month jail sentence for another assault, in Liverpool city centre last December, but is due for early release; it is anticipated he will be freed within the next 10 days wearing an electronic tag.
Once that happens, and conceivably even earlier, Barton and his representatives will meet Kevin Keegan, Newcastle's manager; Derek Llambias, the club's new managing director; Dennis Wise, the executive director (football); and possibly Mike Ashley, Newcastle's owner; to discuss the way forward. While club sources said lately Ashley was "determined" Barton would be punished, the billionaire sports retailer is believed to have softened his stance.
Nonetheless, Barton will be asked to accept a cut in his €82,000-a-week wages. He is also likely to be asked to follow strict rules as to his lifestyle. Should he decline, the club could sack him or put him on the transfer list.
Dismissal, though, would effectively involve Newcastle resigning themselves to losing a player who cost €7.3 million when he joined from Manchester City last year.
The prospect of being released free is usually attractive to footballers, but Barton's off-field reputation could well deter potential employers. Equally, the prospects of selling him on for anything more than a nominal fee look slim, particularly after video footage of the assault in Liverpool was released yesterday.
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn insists his club will not buy Irish players for the sake of it.
Quinn and manager Roy Keane are working to strengthen a squad that battled hard to stay in the Premier League last season. Backed by the Drumaville consortium, they have helped Sunderland build a new fan-base in Ireland.
Keane's squad includes nine who have been capped at senior level by Ireland - while the Sunderland boss is also linked with moves for Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Ireland, Damian Duff, Aiden McGeady and Richard Dunne this summer.
But the Wearsiders, who will step up their pre-season preparations with games against Cobh Ramblers, Athlone Town and Shamrock Rovers, are determined to recruit the best players they can - regardless of nationality.
Quinn told the Sunderland Echo: "We do have a big Irish connection but we don't purposely go out to sign Irish players.
"If there were two players, we would go for the one we wanted the most - not the Irish one.
"We have scouting systems in Ireland at all levels, which we did not have before, and we think we will see the benefit of that in years to come . . .
"We have a close relationship with football in Ireland. We have paid a record fee for an Irish player (from the Eircom League).
"We would like to continue to nourish the link between Ireland and Sunderland. It makes us a bigger international club, because we are not relying on people within 20 miles of us."
Guardian Service
