Georginio Wijnaldum reveals why he ‘chose’ to move to Newcastle United rather than PSG

Wijnaldum joined Newcastle in the summer of 2015 as the club were ‘splashing the cash’ to try and avoid another relegation battle - one which concluded on the final day of the previous season.

The Dutchman joined Steve McClaren’s side as one of Europe’s top prospects and excitement was high that he could make an impact at Newcastle.

His 11 goals and five assists, although it ultimately wasn’t enough to steer Newcastle away from relegation, clearly impressed Jurgen Klopp enough to sign him the following summer.

Liverpool’s gain was Newcastle’s loss in 2016, much like Newcastle's gain was PSG’s loss the season before.

Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, as picked up in SportWitness, Wijnaldum has revealed the reason why he turned down the French giants in favour of Newcastle United:

“In fact, the first contacts date back to 2014, after the World Cup. PSG had tried to bring me in but I wanted to stay at PSV Eindhoven for at least another year or try to be the Dutch champion before leaving.” Wijnaldum revealed.

“I also wanted to stay with Memphis [Depay]. I had been injured for a long time the previous season and felt a bit indebted to the club and the fans.

“After that [winning the Eredivisie], I was more open to the idea of ​​leaving and Paris came back.

“But at that point I didn’t feel a real urge to sign. I chose to go to Newcastle, who really wanted me and made me understand it.”

Wijnaldum quickly became a fan's favourite at Newcastle, he scored on his debut against Southampton and he featured in all 38 Premier League games for Newcastle during the 2015/16 campaign.

However, he struggled on-the-road and failed to score a goal away from St James’s Park.

After moving to Liverpool, Wijnaldum inspired his side’s famous comeback against Barcelona as he went on to win the Champions League.

Wijnaldum now plays at PSG, having made the move earlier this summer, reportedly rejecting a move to join up with Ronald Koeman at Barcelona.

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