Sammy Ameobi admits he regrets not taking his French lessons seriously at school after the raft of Ligue Une arrivals at Newcastle United last month.

Ameobi, who has 11 GCSEs, admits he would have stuck in harder in French lessons if he'd known how it would turn out at Newcastle.

He told the Evening Chronicle: "I would have tried harder if I knew it was going to happen! We have a translator in, but the new lads have settled in. When they played against Chelsea they were amazed."