Veteran reveals reason why he rejected chance to join Newcastle United

Ben Foster has opened up about his decision to reject a move to Newcastle United and has said location was the main factor.

The goalkeeper has now retired from the game at the age of 39.

He last played for Watford but was released by the Hornets at the end of the past campaign.

Newcastle were keen on bringing him in as competition and back-up to their goalkeeping department.

However, despite seeing his terms matched in the end by Eddie Howe’s side, Foster decided against the move.

He has explained why on his Fozcast YouTube channel:

“I live in the Midlands, to get to Newcastle is like four hours, it’s a bit of a trek. It’s not the sort of one you can commit to every day, back and forth.

“Even when I was at Watford I was driving back and forth every day. It works, it is perfect for me. This offer comes in and it is Newcastle and genuinely I’ve gone ‘oh my gosh, this is massive’. They are going to be winning Premier Leagues in the next three of four years.

“They are going to be up there challenging. It was really interesting to me. I was interested to the point where I was talking to Richard Lee (agent) and I’ve gone ‘I want this amount of money’.

“I didn’t really want to do it because of the upheaval (move away) but if they’re going to pay me a really good wage it is something that I have got to respect.

“I said a weekly wage that I wanted and Richard said ‘cool, I’ll go back now to Newcastle and I’ll talk to them and we’ll go from there’.

“Deep down I’d hoped they were going to say that (no) because when I heard about Newcastle it was a nice feeling to feel wanted. I’d had a few offers but non were Premier League concrete offers.

“He’s (Lee) has come back an hour later and gone ‘Ben they’re not going to pay you that amount of wages’ and I said ‘I’ll be dead honest with you, if they’re not willing to pay that amount of money, I’m not going to do it’. The upheaval and having to live away from the family (is the reason).”

He later added:

“Another hour later the phone rings and it is Richard Lee again and he said ‘we’re getting closer, I think they might do it you know’ and as soon as he said this I had this sinking feeling inside of me because deep down I didn’t want to do it and this sounds mad.

“I know for a fact there will be millions of people up and down the country, worldwide, that will say ‘you’ve just been offered a contract by the richest team in the world to go and be second choice goalkeeper, to be part of something’ but I just didn’t want to do it’

“I would have had to move away from home, that would kill me.”

Newcastle ended up bringing in former Liverpool stopper Loris Karius in the end. The former Germany youth international was released by Liverpool earlier this summer after spending recent seasons out on loan from Anfield at Besiktas and Union Berlin.