'Why I quit Champions League club for Toon' – Ben Arfa
HATEM Ben Arfa says turning his back on Champions League football to play for Newcastle United was a no-brainer!
The winger signed for the club on a season-long loan from Olympique Marseille last weekend.
And Ben Arfa is set to make his debut when Newcastle resume their Premier League campaign with a game against Blackpool at St James's Park a week tomorrow.
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However, United's priority this season is top-flight survival, and that's a far cry from the situation he left behind at French powerhouses Marseille, perennial challenges for the domestic title.
Still, the France international believes his move to St James's Park will enhance his career in the future, and he is relishing pitting his wits against the league's defenders.
"I don't mind turning down the chance to play in the Champions League to play for Newcastle," Ben Arfa told the Gazette.
"They may not be in Europe, but I want to play in this league and for this club – it's interesting to play abroad in the Premier League.
"It was a choice I made because I feel it can enhance my career in the long term. My personal ambitions are to give everything I can for the team."
And Ben Arfa – who joined training at his new club this week – is confident Newcastle can more than just survive their first season back in the Premier League.
"I'm not thinking of positions – just to finish as high as I possibly can," Ben Arfa added.
"We have to finish as high as possible. It is stupid to think about finishing low down. I have to give everything during the time I am here."
Ben Arfa's exit from the Stade Velodrome club was a controversial one.
The 23-year-old walked out on the club amid protracted negotiations with Newcastle over the terms of a loan with the option of a permanent deal, and threatened never to play for them again.
In the end, the impasse was eventually broken, and Ben Arfa got his move to St James's Park.
"The time when I knew it was over at Marseille was after Newcastle became interested in me," said Ben Arfa, who has been handed Robert Lee's infamous No37 squad number.
"The reason I didn't go back to Marseille was because they said they had accepted the offer by Newcastle, and all I wanted was to come here.
"What motivated me to take the actions I did at Marseille was because I felt let down by the club.
"Newcastle had made the effort to try to sign me, and I wanted to come. I had to force the issue to make sure I could come here."
Follow Gazette Newcastle United writer Miles Starforth on Twitter here
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Monday 21 May 2012
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