Newcastle boss Hughton: I wanted Tiote for some time

Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton admits Cheik Tiote has been a long-term target.

Hughton was delighted to finally get his hands on the 24-year-old FC Twente midfielder after monitoring his situation for some time.

He played in all three of his country's games at the World Cup finals in South Africa in the company of the likes of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and City duo Kolo and Yaya Toure, and looked far from out of place.

Hughton said: "He is a player I tracked for quite some time.

"I was aware of him and I was probably more delighted than anything to get him because of the amount of time we spent trying to bring him in.

"He is an unselfish player, he is very much a defensive midfield player who has very good use of the ball, and I think he is a wonderful addition for us. He can play.

"At the moment he is playing in the Ivory Coast team, and when you look at the quality in that team, he has played the last 10 games for them.

"That's why his standard has risen over this last year."