Enrique: Newcastle board ‘lie all the time’ about sales
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Jose Enrique last night launched a stinging attack on Mike Ashley’s Newcastle United regime, claiming via Twitter that the club was intent on selling their best players and suggesting that he too is leaving.
Enrique, 25, who has been a summer transfer target for Liverpool , accused the board of selling key players like Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan and said that the club “lie all the time”. Having originally gone on a no-holds-barred attack, he appeared to have second thoughts and deleted his account.
He posted three critical tweets in Spanish culminating in two more in English, the last of which read: “They [the board] don't want spend in [sic] the club and bring quality players that's why everybody go.”
Enrique posted the tweets just after the team landed last night in Columbus, Ohio , ahead of their game against Columbus Crew tomorrow – the third of their US tour. Earlier in the day, Joey Barton had also announced via Twitter that he would not be signing a new deal having been linked yesterday with a move to Manchester United
Enrique tweeted in Spanish: “The club is letting major players go. Do you seriously think that is the fault of the players?” Later he added: “The club is never going to fight to be in the top six if it keeps up this policy.” And then: “I believe that you fans are the best and you deserve the best, not what they are doing with the club. Thank you all for supporting me.”
Subsequent to that, Enrique tweeted in English that the club “lie all the time”. Soon after the tweets were deleted and, following that, the rest of the account but not before team-mate Wayne Routledge had tweeted that he agreed with Enrique. Enrique has a year left on his existing deal but no new contract has been agreed yet. The club are fearful of losing him for nothing next summer.
Enrique had begun his posts by saying that he shared the frustrations of Barton who had also hinted at problems within the club. Barton, 28, who was linked with a possible move to Manchester United over the weekend, has turned down the club’s offer of a new two-year deal, and will be a free agent next summer.
Barton tweeted yesterday: “I will most likely leave Newcastle at end of season, when my contract expires and I am no longer employed. It’s out of my hands.” Barton is not on the club’s US tour having been denied a visa because of his criminal record. Instead he is in Holland with the club’s reserve side. The Newcastle team in the US lost 1-0 to Orlando City in Florida on Saturday.
Alan Pardew said after the game in Florida that he expected to have to replace Enrique this summer. The reserve team left-back Paul Dummett, a Wales under-21 international, has been called out to America to join up with the squad. Enrique was warned by the club for tweeting about an injury last year
Pardew said: “I think Joey will be here. He has said all along that he wants to stay and I want him to stay so there is no conflict there. His contract could get resolved, but probably not until it runs out. But if he has another year like he did last year, then we will be pitching for him with everyone else, and he’ll be in the box seat then, which is where Joey wants to be. We had a week with him before we came away and he looked one of the best in terms of conditioning.”
“We are trying to do some business because we need to cover ourselves in the left-back area between now and the closure of the transfer window, regardless of what happens with Enrique. We tried to bring in Neil Taylor from Swansea and we’ll try to get somebody else. The worst thing for us would be if Enrique went late on during the window, that’s the problem.
“We have had no bids for him, I can confirm that. We have offered him the best contract that has been offered to anyone here for a long while, and we cannot do any more really.”
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