Newcastle United summer signing Ki-Sung-yeung has revealed his main reasons for joining the club after his free transfer from Swansea.
The South Korean captain was convinced within minutes of speaking with Magpies boss Rafael Benitez to sign for the club this summer.
After leading his country in the World Cup finals this summer, Ki had attracted interest from high-profile clubs such as AC Milan and Everton to land his signature.
However, the 29-year-old opted for a move to Tyneside to play under Benitez at St James’ Park.
Ki said, as quoted by The Chronicle: “I knew that this club was a massive one to play for in the Premier League and as soon as Rafa Benitez made the call I knew I wanted to sign here.
“Rafa has a lot of experience in the Premier League and he has won the Champions League and other big European trophies.
“That speaks for itself. He’s managed the big clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool.
“But I believe he can improve the way I play football and how we play as a team. He makes teams more organised and hopefully I can show my ability in games.”
OPINION
Ki Sung-yeung has a good opportunity to win a place in Benitez’s midfield engine room. The 29-year-old face competition from first-team regulars such as Mo Diame and former team mate Jonjo Shelvey, who played alongside Ki while at Swansea. The Korean joins Newcastle following relegation with Swansea last season and will be eager to make an early impression on his new supporters. Ki has played in the North East before after featuring for local rivals Sunderland, scoring in the Black Cats’ 2-1 penalty shoot-out win over Man United in the League Cup semi-final. Ki almost won the trophy in consecutive years with different clubs after Swansea lifted the cup in 2013. Ki is highly experienced at international level with over 100 caps to his name and certainly has a chance to make the central midfield position his own at St James’ Park if he can deliver in the top flight this season.
