A way out for Alan Smith?

It seems as though this ill-fated US tour has actually brought us some rare good news as it's emerged that Alan Smith has pricked a bit of interest whilst we've been over in the states.

Smith owns property in Florida and by his own admission loves the Sunshine State, which is why a move to Orlando City could suit the 30-year-old. Match that up with Adrian Heath, the former Everton midfielder and now Orland City manager, and his admission of how he would "love" to sign Alan Smith and perhaps we end up with a recipe for love, mutual love by the sounds of it.

Of course the other recipe for love would include Smith heading back to his boyhood club for the final few years of his career, although it would appear that the Elland Road side wouldn't be able to pay him anywhere near what he is on and would actually have to go frighteningly close to his actual worth to get him to rejoin them. I'm not so sure Smith would do that just yet.

It seems that Heath is desperate to get Smith on board and make him part of the plan for an ambitious Orlando City side who beat us 1-0 at the weekend. In fact it's emerged that both player and prospective manager have even had a chat about Smith's next career move.

“I’d love to take Alan over here at some point," said Heath in quotes attributed to The Journal

“We have spoken a couple of times so far and it seems at the moment he wants to sit out the last year of his contract at Newcastle. So I may have to wait but if anything changes, he can come to Orlando whenever he wants. I know he likes it here and I’d love to sign him.”

I'm not surprised that Alan Smith wants to sit on his £60,000-a-week contract. It's frustrating for us fans but at the end of the day wouldn't you do exactly the same of there was nobody coming along to offer you the same kind of deal? I know I would.

It just goes to show that it isn't always easy to shift a player along. If the player has contract and doesn't want to go then he can't be forced, even if there is a club interested in him that would play him week in, week out and give him a wage for it.

I'm not quite sure what Heath sees in Smith though to be honest. I mean he was anonymous in the recent game between Newcastle and Orlando so that can't have impressed him too much. I'd liken it to the chubby chaser at a nightclub - you know there is better out there but you also know you won't get knocked back by the fat, ugly one. I think that theory applies here also.

So there is a way out for Smith, although unfortunately it would appear that he just doesn't want to use it and therefore it's likely we'll have him on our books for another season until his contract runs out.

Another footballer putting money before playing football? Nah....