Newcastle United still hopeful Steven Taylor will stay

Aug 26 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

NEWCASTLE United remain hopeful of keeping hold of transfer-listed defender Steven Taylor – despite talks over a new deal breaking down.

The 24-year-old was placed on the list yesterday amid claims of big discrepancies over the player’s wage demands and the amount that the club are prepared to pay the Academy graduate.

Fearful of the fact that Taylor’s contract is entering its final year, United say they will now listen to offers for the defender – but manager Chris Hughton wants the player to stay on Tyneside.

Newcastle released a short statement yesterday morning confirming Taylor had been placed on the list, but the player’s camp responded with a statement of their own disputing unofficial reports that he was angling for a big wage increase to around £65,000-a-week.

The club has made no official comment on Taylor’s wage demands.

After a summer of parsimonious spending the days of Newcastle paying such vast amounts would appear to be over, and United have already blocked a move for French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa because of his own huge wage demands.

While the impasse leaves Taylor as close to the St James’ Park exit door as he has ever been during his long United career, there would appear to be an element of brinkmanship over yesterday’s events. A statement released on behalf of Taylor (left) and his agent Paul Stretford disputed the claims of huge disparities over his wage demands, but concurred with Newcastle’s official line that they would like the player to remain on Tyneside.