The BBC are reporting that Joey Barton has turned down a late offer from West Ham in order to join Newcastle United.
The club announced it had accepted bids of £5.5 million from both West Ham and Newcastle, leaving Barton with a straight choice between the two sides - but it appears as though he has hitch his load to Big Sam's bandwagon.
All academic now I guess, but I thought it would have come down to an interesting choice between the two sides as although West Ham put in a great escape to avoid dropping into the Championship, both sides have new(ish) managers looking to strengthen the side and have money behind them both in terms of players and what financial deal they could offer Barton (with the BBC report suggesting a figure of around £70,000 per week).
Status wise, both sides have a history and tradition that is not too disimilar - although Newcastle clearly have the edge in terms of attendance figures.
Did it come down to Allardyce being the deciding factor?
The club announced it had accepted bids of £5.5 million from both West Ham and Newcastle, leaving Barton with a straight choice between the two sides - but it appears as though he has hitch his load to Big Sam's bandwagon.
All academic now I guess, but I thought it would have come down to an interesting choice between the two sides as although West Ham put in a great escape to avoid dropping into the Championship, both sides have new(ish) managers looking to strengthen the side and have money behind them both in terms of players and what financial deal they could offer Barton (with the BBC report suggesting a figure of around £70,000 per week).
Status wise, both sides have a history and tradition that is not too disimilar - although Newcastle clearly have the edge in terms of attendance figures.
Did it come down to Allardyce being the deciding factor?