Michael Owen Explains Why He Is Relieved Newcastle Broke Their Transfer Record on Miguel Almiron

​Newcastle's former record signing Michael Owen has said he is glad Newcastle have finally broken their longstanding transfer record to land Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron, joking that he hopes it will keep his name out of the headlines for a while. 

The £16m the Magpies paid to secure Owen's signing in 2005 stood as their highest ever spend on a single player for over 13 years, with the club refusing to follow the trend of rapid inflation that saw many of their top-flight counterparts dwarf the fee in the years that followed.

The £21m they paid to secure Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United in January finally surpassed the previous bar, however, and Owen is hoping to see less of his name in the Newcastle transfer stories from now on.

When asked if he was surprised about the fee, he told the ​Star: "I suppose I was, yeah.

“I know they sold players for a lot more and they worked the transfer window well in certain periods of time. I remember when they signed a couple of French players and sold a couple of them on for decent money - Sissoko being a good example.

“Every single time I tend to read an article about a ​Newcastle transfer I’d get a mention in it so hopefully they’ll leave me out now.”

The legendary striker also said he has watched Almiron in the past, and has challenged the 24-year-old to transpose his obvious talents onto the ​Premier League canvass. 

“I’ve watched a bit of him and he looks a talented player. He’s obviously a flair player, scores goals, creates goals, has got a good left foot.

“He’s been successful in the American league, whether that can translate is the big question."