 During his career, Swindon twice agreed a fee to sell Owen to other clubs, £14,000 to Norwich City in 1951 and £7,500 to Bristol City in 1955, but Owen rejected both moves, not wanting to move away from his home in Abingdon.There were also unsuccessful approaches from Portsmouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers.After his retirement, Owen commented on his refusal to move away from Swindon, stating