Former England striker Emile Heskey hinting he wants to extend stay at Newcastle Jets
EXCLUSIVE Barry Toohey
The Daily Telegraph
September 22, 2012 12:00AM
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Emile Heskey could be keen to extend his stay at the Newcastle Jets. Source: AFP
HE won't get a first glimpse of his new home until he arrives in Newcastle next week but Emile Heskey is already making noises about extending his stay with the Jets beyond this season.
In a huge coup for the club, the veteran English striker was sold the idea of bringing his family to Newcastle to play in the A-League during a three-hour meeting over coffee at the Mayfair Hotel in London last Sunday morning.
In a rushed decision, Hunter Sports Group boss Troy Palmer and Jets CEO Robbie Middleby had flown to England the previous day in a bid to get the deal over the line.
The jet-lagged officials only had time for a quick shower and a change of clothes before meeting Heskey and his high-profile manager Struan Marshall.
"The meeting wasn't about money by that stage," Middleby revealed yesterday.
"We'd already agreed on that part of the deal over the phone before we went over.
"It was about Emile wanting to know more about us - more about Newcastle and what the club stands for.
"He was actually ready to jump on a plane and come to us to have a look around and to get a feel for the place before we said we'd come to him.
"We sent him links to look at on the net. We talked about the Emerging Jets program we've set up and we spoke a lot about Nathan (Jets owner Nathan Tinkler) and his commitment to the city's sporting franchises.
"He's a lovely bloke and it was a big decision for him because he has a partner and five kids.
"Troy and I couldn't get over how humble he was.
"Our fans in Newcastle and A-League fans right across Australia are going to love him."
While the chase for his signature was only really set in motion during the middle of last week, Middleby says Heskey's name was first brought up two years ago by his former Liverpool teammate Robbie Fowler during his time in the A-League.
"We used to talk about what players he thought would be good out here and Robbie said to me two years ago Emile would be ideal for the A-League," Middleby said.
"And it was actually through Robbie that we made the initial contact to see if he would be interested in coming here.
"Once the ball was rolling, we got Michael Bridges (Jets striker), who has played against Emile in the EPL, involved as well.
"He was messaging him and telling him how good a place Newcastle is.
"The night of the meeting we got the good news from his agent Struan Marshall that he'd agreed to come."
The Jets are not commenting on Heskey's financial package but reports suggest he will pocket around $700,000 for the season.
But a one-year stint could easily turn into two years or even three depending on how he performs.
"Emile was very strong on the point that he is not coming out here to retire," Middleby said.
"He's 34 but he is coming off a full season in the EPL with Aston Villa and he reckons he still has at least three seasons left in him.
"Extending his stay is certainly something we will seriously look at if all parties are happy with how things are going."