Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier has opened up about leaving La Liga champions Atletico Madrid for the Premier League relegation battlers. Trippier has also explained how close he was to joining Manchester United ahead of this season and why he was so keen to return to England.
Newcastle started their January spending by luring the 31-year-old to St. James' Park in a £12million deal.
He will forever be remembered as the club's first-ever signing under Saudi Arabia-backed ownership.
Trippier spent two-and-a-half years in Spain after leaving Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, but his Premier League comeback seemed inevitable.
In a recent interview with Alan Shearer, Trippier explained that despite Atletico's desire for him to stay, he 'needed' to return to the north of England for family reasons.
Kieran Trippier was linked to Man Utd in the summer. (Image: GETTY)
He told The Athletic: "I had lots of conversations with the manager [Simeone] and behind the scenes with the Atletico president. They made it clear they didn't want me to go, but I had a couple of family reasons for why I needed to come back.
"I wanted to come back to the north, and up north, there was only Newcastle interested. But I know the manager [Eddie Howe], and I've worked with him before [at Burnley], and I had good chats with him about the project and what could happen.
"I thought that maybe I could tempt other players to come here, too, that if I've joined Newcastle, maybe it shows we can get out of it. It's going to be difficult, but I'm up for it. It's perfect timing for my family and me."
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Trippier also revealed he was the subject of heavy interest from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the summer, but Atletico priced United out of a deal.
"After the Euros, there was really strong interest. I've got to be careful what I say because I don't want to get into trouble, but yeah, there was interest," Trippier explained.
"We had conversations, but Atletico Madrid just wanted my release clause, and it was a lot of money for a 30-year-old.
"So I understand why Man United didn't do that. There were other clubs interested. Anyway, it's gone now, so it doesn't bother me."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted Kieran Trippier. (Image: GETTY)