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Barton signs a new four-year deal

Barton put in a request for a transfer last season.

LONDON, England -- Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has signed a new four-year contract at the Premiership club, to end speculation about his future.

The 23-year-old surprised City with a transfer request last season, but he has since rebuilt his relationship with the club, and manager Stuart Pearce has succeeded in retaining the rising star.

Barton's existing contract had just one year left to run, and City were eager to keep him on a longer-term deal.

Pearce said: "This is excellent news. I have always maintained that Joey's future lay with this football club and the player is very happy here.

"Joey is improving as a player and I am sure with continued hard work on his and our part, he can achieve his ambitions at Manchester City."

Quinn becomes manager

Former Sunderland player and chairman-elect Niall Quinn was named manager of the relegated club on Tuesday.

He heads the Drumaville consortium which bought the League Championship team for 10 million pounds ($18.43 million) earlier this month.

"Becoming manager is not something I thought I would be doing," Quinn said.

"But it has transpired that way, even though the group who are backing me could not have been more ambitious in trying to attract a world-class manager."

Former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill reportedly turned down the chance to take over a club that was relegated from the Premier League last season with a record-low 15 points.

Quinn said he "was first and foremost chairman of the club" and admitted he took the job in order to end the current slide and bring stability.

"If it takes three months to get to a point where we can bring in a new manager then great, I will gladly walk," he said.

"If it takes longer than that then I will stay until we reach that point, but we have to be realistic because the club was in poor shape at the end of last season."

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