Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton has been told he can leave the Premier League team on a free transfer after his stormy relationship with the club finally reached breaking point. Barton was already unhappy with Newcastle's decision to allow captain Kevin Nolan to join West Ham during the close-season and his mood wasn't improved by the recent breakdown of talks over a new contract. The 28-year-old showed his frustrations with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and the club's directors with a series of angry posts on the micro-blogging website Twitter. Writing after Sunday's 3-2 friendly defeat at Leeds, Barton claimed another Twitter post from Newcastle teammate Jose Enrique, which led to the Spaniard being fined after he accused the club of lacking ambition, was typical of the unhappy atmosphere among the players. Manchester United and Arsenal have both been linked with moves for Barton during the close-season and there is likely to be a scramble for the 28-year-old's services involving a host of top-flight teams despite his often-controversial actions. Wenger wants permit for Miyaichi Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he wants to obtain a work permit for Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi. The 18-year-old Miyaichi was signed in January but spent the rest of last season on loan at Dutch club Feynoord as he didn't have official clearance to play for the London club. Miyaichi was not allowed to play in the Emirates Cup last weekend as it was a FIFA-sanctioned tournament. He has impressed enough during the offseason for Wenger to feel he is ready to play for Arsenal's first team.
