... the greedy tosser was waiting for a better offer from a bigger club?
Does that strike a chord Michael?
He still claims there were "other Premiership clubs interested" in him, but none have come forward to confirm that.
Michael Owen: "I spoke to the manager here a few months ago, so I knew there was a strong possibility that I would come here and I'll blame him for not making it happen so soon!
"I'm not sure why, but it just dragged on. I was eager to sign straight away.
"There were things I'm not quite sure about that meant there was a delay, but that's all in the past now, I'm here and I'm excited to start."
"At Old Trafford I was on the bench a lot of the time, but then when the manager says 'you have a big role to play and we want you to stay for another year', it was great to hear that from someone like Sir Alex Ferguson.
"In hindsight, probably with that extra year, it might have been better if I had moved in many ways.
"There were a couple of Premier League teams that showed interest, but this is a team on the up, I know the manager and a few of the players and it meant I didn't have to move my family as well.
"There were loads of things that ticked the boxes and I'm sure I've made the right decision.
"I want to perform and I want to finish my career on a real high. I'm still only 32 and I still feel as if I have a lot left in me.
"I've always scored goals no matter what team I have been in, so as long as I can stay fit and healthy, then I'm sure I can do that here at Stoke."