New Boy: Lovenkrands

With the contract inked for the rest of the season, Peter Lovenkrands is readying himself for the upcoming battle ahead as we seek to avoid the dreaded 'R` word. Speaking to the Sunday Sun, the Dane said:

"As a footballer, I wanted to play and test myself in the best league in the world. But I also wanted to come to the Premier League for my family`s sake. I have a wee daughter and my wife — who is Scottish — is pregnant, so it was very important for me to go somewhere where we could get settled. It was very tough for my wife to settle in Germany.

I wanted to get away to the Premier League in the summer, and I was very close to a move to Fulham, but it fell through in the last six hours of the transfer window. After that, Schalke got a new coach who wanted to pick players who wanted to stay there, so I didn`t get too many games. And with four months left on my contract it was agreed by both parties that it would be best for me to get away.

I`ve been on tenterhooks for two weeks. It`s been a fantastic opportunity — my agent talked to a couple of other Premier League clubs, but as soon as I knew about Newcastle, I wanted to come here — but it`s also been tough. I wanted to come here so badly that it has been hard mentally for me, and hard for my family. But I`ve got the move now and I just can`t wait to get started.

I know the situation here. It`s serious, but it doesn`t scare me at all. We`ve got the players to come through it. I`d do anything to prove myself over the next few months and win a long-term contract here. I`m still very confident in my ability and very ambitious. For example, I want to get back in the Denmark squad for the rest of the World Cup qualifying campaign."

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