“It was all worth it” – Newcastle signing on long transfer saga, reveals moment that “changed everything”

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman has admitted the wait to join the club was worth it in the end given how things have worked out since.

Botman joined Newcastle in a €37m deal in the summer after months of speculation about a move to St James Park.

The Magpies had initially targeted him in the January transfer window and pushed hard to make a deal happen, but Lille proved resistant to their advances, refusing to sell a key player.

Newcastle instead signed Dan Burn and focused on staying in the Premier League, something they achieved comfortably before spending big in the summer window.

Botman was one of their major arrivals and has been a key player since, establishing himself in the heart of their defence with a series of solid performances as Newcastle have risen to third in the table and just two points behind Manchester City in second.

Like most of their business, Botman is proving to be worth it, and he admits being forced to wait worked out well for him too.

“Everyone knows Ajax’s way of playing under Ten Hag. At rondos and positional games, I just wasn’t the best,” Ajax Showtime report him saying to Voetbal International.

“I didn’t see those at the time either, so then I just extended. Three weeks later, Lille suddenly knocked on the door, which changed everything.

“This club and league simply suited me better than Ajax. [The transfer to Newcastle] all took a bit longer than usual, but in hindsight, of course, it was all worth it.”