Joey Barton admits the ambition of the Queens Park Rangers board convinced him that they are the right club for his career.
QPR new boy believes exciting times lie ahead at Loftus Road
Joey Barton admits the ambition of the Queens Park Rangers board convinced him that they are the right club for his career.
The one-cap England international completed a move to Loftus Road on Friday, penning a four-year contract.
A fresh start in the capital will allow him to put a disappointing end to his spell at Newcastle behind him, with QPR confident they are heading towards a bright future.
Barton certainly buys into that belief and feels that a couple more additions will have the club in a position to make a real mark on the Premier League.
"They have got a great bunch of professionals here," he told
Sky Sports News.
Core
"To achieve what they achieved, in terms of winning the Championship last year, I think a lot of people take it for granted and think that winning the Championship is quite an easy task.
"Believe me, as someone who has played in a side that managed to do that, it's possibly as tough a division as there is out there. It's very competitive and a very tough division to win.
"The players that did that last season, the nucleus and the core of them are still here. If the board's ambitions are met and they can bring in a few more players, which we spoke about, then it is a massively exciting time for this football club."
Barton added: "I have always been on record as being ambitious. I made a statement saying I wouldn't leave Newcastle unless it was for a Champions League club and that was the ambition I had as a player.
"The plans at this club, both for the short-term and the long-term, are incredibly exciting and that's the reason I came.
Enthusiasm
"I was filled with enthusiasm after speaking to the board and that forced me to contemplate leaving a massive club like Newcastle United."
While relishing the challenge that awaits him at QPR, Barton admits it was difficult to tear himself away from St James' Park.
He said: "It was quite difficult making a transfer. A lot of people think it is cut and dry, but you have got a lot of different things going on.
"Obviously, with my relationship with the Newcastle fans, it was a bit heart-wrenching at times and you are always trying to second guess yourself and try to pre-empt a lot of different outcomes and there were a lot of factors to take into consideration.
"Thankfully, I have reached a decision and have joined a club that are at a pivotal moment in their history and want to do great things in the game. It's nice to be wanted and it's nice to be part of it."
