Soccer:Joey Barton has been made available on a free transfer, Newcastle have confirmed on their official website. Relations between the club and the outspoken midfielder had already been strained following a breakdown of contract talks over the summer, with Barton taking to Twitter to air his frustrations.

The 28-year-old did so again following yesterday’s friendly defeat at Leeds, before saying he would make an announcement on his future at 4pm today. But the club have pre-empted whatever Barton was going to say by announcing he is able to leave the club a year out from the end of his contract.

A brief statement on www.nufc.co.uk read: “Newcastle United can today confirm that Joey Barton has been placed on the transfer list. The player has been advised that he can leave the club on a free transfer.”

Barton made reference to behind-the-scenes unrest on the social networking site yesterday afternoon, following on from full-back Jose Enrique who was recently fined by the club for accusing them of lacking ambition via his own account. “If only we as players could tell the fans exactly how it is, without them above fining us lots of money. There will be a time and a place,” Barton wrote.

“If it wouldn’t effect (sic) team morale and cause unrest within the dressing room, am certain Jose’s comments would be the tip of the iceberg.....And again it would be left to those magnificent fans to pick up the remnants of their once great football club. #hadenoughofcertainpeople.”

The Liverpudlian has become a fans’ favourite in the north east after initially suffering a troublesome start to his life on Tyneside. After joining for €6.6 million from Manchester City in June 2007 he served a 77-day prison sentence after being found guilty of assault following an incident in Liverpool, while he was also given a suspended four-month sentence for a training ground assault on then City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

The Dabo incident earned him a six-match ban upon his release from jail, before injury then curtailed his first-team comeback, and his days at the club looked to be numbered as he was sent off in a late-season clash at Liverpool, a game Newcastle lost 3-0 on their way to relegation from the Premier League.

He clashed with manager Alan Shearer in the aftermath and was suspended by the club, but resolved his differences sufficiently enough to remain with them in the Championship under new boss Chris Hughton. Although injury ruled him out for the middle part of the season he played key roles at the start and end of what was a title-winning campaign.