Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur cult hero David Ginola has opened up about his transfer in 1997.
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David Ginola set the Premier League alight when he joined Newcastle United from Paris Saint-Germain for £2.5million in 1995.
The Frenchman’s flair, charm and stunning goals quickly made him a fan favourite on Tyneside and beyond.
But after 75 appearances, consecutive runners-up finishes in the Premier League and seven goals for Newcastle, Ginola left to join Tottenham Hotspur.
The move came about following Kevin Keegan’s exit and Kenny Dalglish’s appointment at St James’ Park. Ginola would continue to impress at Spurs, winning League Cup and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year during the 1998-99 season.
David Ginola reflects on turbulent NUFC exit
Reflecting on his Newcastle exit in a book about ‘The Entertainers’, Ginola said: "I didn’t want to leave the club but when Kenny Dalglish took over from Kevin it was a shock and it just wasn’t the same anymore. I argued with Kenny and he didn’t play me much after that.
"He tried to get rid of all the foreign players Kevin signed. I was frustrated at the time and I said something in the newspapers that if things don’t change, I will have to leave.
“The following day we had a row. He told me I couldn’t go to the newspapers and say these things. I said, ‘You treat me like I’m having an affair with your wife.’
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"He said, ‘How dare you talk to me like that.’ I said, ‘At least I’m talking. You never look at me or talk to me.’ He wasn’t the guy to take us to the top, as it was proved. He didn’t make the most of the players we had.
"Under Kevin, it was such a pleasure every day in training and every Saturday away and at St James’ Park, where the atmosphere was magnificent. I miss those days. One day, those happy days will return."
Ginola’s view that Dalglish wouldn’t take Newcastle ‘to the top’ was ultimately correct as he led the club to a 13th place finish in his first full season in charge. It was the first time The Magpies had failed to finish in the top six in the Premier League since being promoted in 1993.
Dalglish was dismissed after a winless start to the 1998-99 season.
David Ginola looks back fondly on life at Newcastle United
Despite an unsavoury exit from Newcastle, Ginola still looks back at his time at Newcastle fondly and returns to visit St James’ Park
“When I arrived at Newcastle, the first thing I thought was, ‘Am I in England?’ The way that they were talking and all these things, for me it was like a discovery,” Ginola said via The Overlap. “When I signed from PSG to Newcastle I thought about the Premier League and England and thought it would be like this and that, but I discovered things like baked beans and toast – things I’d never think about in Paris.
“I was used to eating croissants and pain au chocolat and a nice glass of wine. Talking about football these days, I don’t think we realise how good it was at that time. Less money but more passion and appreciation to play for someone who really wants you, like Sir John Hall – what a man.
“He was a Geordie, very successful businessman who bought the club because it was his passion. Nowadays, people buy clubs because they just want to be in football, I don’t know if they are enjoying themselves.”