Source: Daily_Mail
Horton rules out a move for Newcastle bad-boy Joey Barton
Hull have dismissed reports linking them with controversial Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton.Newcastle are thought to be keen to offload the 27-year-old after atroubled two years on Tyneside following a £5.8million move from Manchester City.
Hull are anxious to strengthen their squad ahead of the new seasonbut say they are not planning to offer Barton a Premier League lifeline.
When asked if there was any truth in the rumours, assistant manager Brian Horton said: "No. Joey Barton is a very good footballer. I know him, I have done things with him in Manchester."He has obviously had issues and that is a shame because he can be a very good footballer but at this present time I don't think it's an area that really needs to be looked at."
Hull have endured a frustrating summer in the transfer market having seen three high-profile targets opt for other clubs.
City were close to agreeing deals with Fraizer Campbell and Marc-Antoine Fortune but lost out to Sunderland and Celtic respectively. An audacious attempt to sign Michael Owen also came to nothing as Manchester United stepped in.
Horton added: "It is frustrating, we are trying like hell. But they have gone to three big clubs. If we were losing Joe Bloggs from Division Three it would be a different matter.
"We want to bring someone in but we need to have a bit of patience, things will evolve.It's not the fact we are not trying to get better players in."
