Kevin Keegan

MIKE Ashley remains convinced Kevin Keegan is the right man to lead Newcastle United’s Premier League revival after the pair met in London yesterday to discuss summer transfers.

Ashley was joined by chairman Chris Mort, Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez at the meeting at the Freshfields Office and, although Mort insisted the matters discussed were “private club business”, the outcome was said to be amicable and positive for the future.

Speculation has been rife over the last few days that Keegan’s relationship with Ashley had turned sour after he appeared to express his frustration at the lack of communication between himself and the owner.

Keegan seemed irritated he had not been informed how much money he would have to spend

in the summer, while new contracts for key players like Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Steven Taylor had also still not been agreed, despite his insistence they were a matter of urgency.

However, although new contracts were discussed at yesterday’s meeting, the main purpose of the talks – as revealed in The Journal yesterday – was to formulate a clear plan on how best to proceed in the transfer market this summer.

Keegan is believed to have sought certain assurances about the amount of money that will be available to him as he tries to strengthen the squad and, given that he, Ashley and Mort were all in attendance at a charity dinner for former United manager Sir Bobby Robson last night, he appears to be happy with the figure he was quoted.

United were unwilling to elaborate on what was said at the meeting but Mort confirmed to The Journal last night that the atmosphere was positive and that all parties were looking to move the club forward over the summer. He said: “We had a good meeting which was both productive and constructive.”

United, of course, have a last-day trip to Everton to worry about tomorrow and Keegan will focus all his attention on trying to end the season in style at Goodison Park. It will be another good benchmark for Newcastle. The Toffeemen need a point to guarantee their place in the Uefa Cup next season, an objective Keegan will set his squad at the start of next season.

However, he is bound to be quizzed at length about the confused events of the last few days, as well as his reaction to the talks with Ashley, regardless of the result. Newcastle fans will certainly hope the manager is in a more positive frame of mind than he was after the 2-0 defeat by Chelsea on Bank Holiday Monday, with an exciting summer of new arrivals anticipated.

At this stage, it is clear where their support lies and it is with the manager, who has restored some much-needed pride and self-belief at the end of another difficult campaign with a run of just one defeat in eight games.

It is highly unlikely that details of exactly how much Keegan has in the transfer kitty will be made public as every club sensibly tries to hide its hand when it comes to the often complex bidding process. But it is believed to be a sizeable amount, with Keegan content with life at St James’s Park.

The Journal understands that talks with Owen’s advisers will begin in the next few days and Keegan will hope his skipper, Martins and Taylor will all have agreed new deals by the time he is able to welcome his first new signing to St James’s Park. Keegan has indicated he expects to land three or four top quality players over the summer, but that number is likely to increase if, as expected, the likes of Charles N’Zogbia, Emre and Alan Smith leave the club.