Hatem Ben Arfa insists he is desperate to start a Premiership game after sealing a season-long loan switch to Newcastle. The French winger played in Marseille's opening game of the season on 7th August but then stopped training with the club to focus on making sure his temporary move went through.
"The time when I knew it was over at Marseille was after Newcastle became interested in me," the 23 year old told The Chronicle.
"The reason I didn't go back to Marseille was because they said in the end 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.
"I don't mind turning down the chance to play in the Champions League to play for Newcastle," he added.
"They may not be in Europe, but I want to play in this league and for this club. It's interesting for me to play abroad and in the Premier League."
"It (Newcastle) was a choice I made because I feel it can enhance my career in the long-term," he said. "It has a big history and fantastic supporters. The history and how good the supporters are, is a very well-known fact in France.
"I hope that I can play many times for France in the future and being at Newcastle I can do that.
"I am excited by the prospect of running out in front of these fans," he added. "I want to give everything I can for them.
"I have a lot of confidence in the people I have seen on the training field so far. After seeing the skills of the players in the last week or so, I feel even more confident that the team can achieve success that I did before."
