Newcastle United new boy Joselu has revealed the how the club and city remind him of his time at Real Madrid.
The Spaniard was the club's only striking acquisition of the transfer window having missed out on other targets Tammy Abraham and Lucas Pérez, signing from Stoke City in a £5 million move.
Perfect debut
Joselu, however, made just the impression he would have been hoping for by scoring a goal on his home debut in a 3-0 victory over West Ham United before the international break.
The 27-year-old was given a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd when being replaced by Aleksander Mitrović in the 70th minute.
Reflecting on his maiden appearance for the club, Joselu told the Chronicle: “It was an emotional day for me because it was my first game in the stadium and I scored a goal.
“It was an amazing reaction when I was subbed. My hairs stood on the back of my neck and I will never forget it.”
Joselu also described St James’ Park as an “amazing” stadium and admitted the recognition from the Geordie faithful for his hard work during the game “meant a lot” to him.
Madrid comparison
The Spanish forward is settling well in Tyneside and puts it down to similarities between Newcastle and Madrid – where he spent three years earlier in his career.
“It [living in Newcastle] reminds me of Madrid,” he said.
“All the people in Newcastle love their team too. They love that we are in the Premier League. The Premier League is where we should always be."
Joselu continued: “It’s a big club, big city, and a big stadium. We have big players as well so we must do well.”
Raring to play again
Joselu and his teammates are now preparing for Sunday’s game with Swansea City and the player is keen to ensure the Magpies pick up where they left off against the Hammers.
He acknowledged that Rafael Benitez's side “need to work harder than teams like West Ham” and added: “We outworked the other team and won the battle.”
Joselu also said: “It’s good to win 3-0 before the international break because it means you can rest for a couple of days and enjoy. We need to come back and work hard for the next game at Swansea.”