Emre: "I Had An Offer From Fenerbahce"

Emre: "I Had An Offer From Fenerbahce"

By Nathan L. Redd

Turkish midfielder Emre Belozoglu announced earlier that despite his desire to stay with English club Newcastle United, he had an offer from Fenerbahce to join the Yellow Canaries.

"I know all the Turkish newspapers will write my name in their headlines during the transfer window. But although I have received serious offers from Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, I want to continue my career in England. The Premier League is famous all over the world and that's why I wanted to move there. I will stay at Newcastle. I have great respect for Sam Allardyce, the new coach."

There was speculation several months ago that Emre may join Fenerbahce at the end of his season with Newcastle, although Fenerbahce officials never confirmed any interest in Emre. In fact, it is believed that the acquisition of the midfielder would be very disappointing to Fenerbahce fans. Emre endured one of the most difficult seasons of his career in 2006-2007. He was falsely accused of racism by American goalkeeper Tim Howard, who himself should have been punished for ethnic slurs against Emre. It was believed that Emre would leave England after the incident, but he was cleared by FIFA and the FA and has chosen to remain at Newcastle to play for new Manager Sam Allardyce.