Newcastle's new £35million defender Sven Botman has revealed that he chose the Toon ahead of AC Milan because Tyneside felt like the right fit.
Botman, the 22-year-old Dutch international who has moved to St James’ Park, was disappointed when the transfer failed to materialise in January when the Magpies first approached Lille about a deal.
He interrupted his holiday in Ibiza to make it happen this time - and Botman has promised to do everything he can to live up to the hype that will come with the price tag. Botman said: “In the end, the beautiful project of Newcastle United combined with playing in the Premier League was the deciding factor.
“The latter has actually been a dream all my life. AC Milan also gave me a good feeling, but Newcastle United felt just a little bit better in the end. I really wanted to go to Newcastle United in January, because I also heard - and that's a cliche, I know - that such a train doesn't pass by often. It means the very big chances don’t come by that often. To me Newcastle was a mega opportunity.
“I was able to say goodbye to Lille in a nice way. That club deserved that. Staying wasn't a punishment in January either, because I knew there were two beautiful Champions League games against Chelsea coming up. I have that baggage now, too. Immediately after arriving, I noticed that soccer in England is a very different game than in France. Everything revolves around soccer. I'm not the most well-known player anyway, but I was recognised and talked to on the street. In the stadium and at the training centre, where I was medically examined, the fans were waiting for me. That took some getting used to for me.”
Botman will hope to settle quickly in the north-east with the World Cup looming in November. He will be a key member of Louis van Gaal’s Holland squad for the tournament. Botman was on holiday with his girlfriend Chana and childhood pals Toer, Victor and Canni when the call came to travel to England to seal his dream move. He took them all with him to Newcastle - and then returned to the beach to relax ahead of a huge season.
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Botman told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “It was hectic. Insane actually! I did earn my Airmiles again. This is a mega deal. There is a lot of pressure on me. Although that's partly my own fault, because I want everything - from house to car and from bank account to English phone number - arranged before training starts. I don’t want to think about it (the transfer fee) at all. This is how the soccer world has developed and how the transfer market is at the moment. There's nothing I can do about that. And hopefully I'm still the sober guy from Badhoevedorp. That forty million euros, by the way, shows how badly Newcastle United wanted me. That gives confidence and it is now up to me to repay that.”
Botman added: “Wednesday I start. We don't have an Asia or Australia trip for the season. Newcastle are going to Austria and Portugal. That's bound to be a nice solid preparation. It has been a long season. That's why it's important to give my body a real rest. Although I will obviously train some for myself.” Botman hopes moving to the Premier League will boost his chances of going to Qatar in the winter. He said: “I haven't spoken to Mr. Van Gaal yet, but of course I'm going to play in a bigger league now. Now I have to make sure I stand out and that the national coach thinks I'm good enough. I hope for that of course. The World Cup would be the icing on the cake.”
