Former Newcastle forward Albert Luque has revealed he never wanted
to sign for the Magpies and only joined the club because of
money.
The Spaniard was considered a flop in his two years on Tyneside,
scoring just three goals in a frustrating time for the ex-Deportivo
ace.
Luque was transferred to Ajax in the summer at a £7.5million loss
and claims he never wanted to leave Spain in the first place.
"I gave Newcastle a negative reply when they called," he explained
to Voetbal International.
"I was having a great time at Depor, (but) they came in with an
offer too good to refuse.
"I had a talk with then-chairman, Freddie Shepherd, and told him
how much I wanted to earn. It was a ludicrous amount but he didn't
bat an eyelid.
"I was going to earn lots and lots of money at a club I had never
paid any attention to before and move to a town I knew nothing
about," he said.
Luque was limited to 34 appearances for the club, including only
six league starts, and has blasted Glenn Roeder for the way he was
treated.
"He ignored me completely. I often started on the bench and even
more was forced to watch from the stands.
"I never had the opportunity to adapt to the British style," Luque
added.
The 29-year-old also revealed that his time at the Premier League
club taught him that money is not everything.
"This summer I came to the conclusion that money is not the only
thing in life.
"I told Newcastle's new chairman, Chris Mort, money was not an
issue anymore, providing they let me go. I was fed up with leading
a tourist-like life."
