William Osula says he never wanted to leave Newcastle United, even after a £21million move to Bayer Leverkusen was lined up last year.
The striker, who had limited Premier League starts in his first two years on Tyneside, said his mindset stayed the same throughout the uncertainty. Osula explained that his focus remained on Newcastle then, and it remains there now.
"I have always been focused on where I am, in Newcastle, I'm here, and your focus has to remain here. That's how it will continue to be for me," Osula said.
He was also clear that the collapsed move was a chapter of the past. "That was last year... I was at Newcastle then, I'm at Newcastle now, this is where my focus remains," he said.
How the opportunity opened up
Osula's situation changed late in the season after Anthony Gordon's exit opened a chance in the team. Between August and April, he made just one more Premier League start after his goal against Liverpool, but the final six games of his second season gave him a decent opportunity to show what he could do.
That run also followed a winter ankle injury, which added to the stop-start feel of his time at Newcastle. Even so, he managed five goals in seven games and gave Eddie Howe reasons to keep trusting him.
"You have to do that (earn trust), and then when you get the opportunity, you have to take it, I tried to do that every single game. You look to provide and do your best on the pitch," Osula said.
"Thankfully, he (Eddie Howe) continued to put his trust in me throughout the end of the season," he added.
What it could mean next
Osula's late-season form matters because Newcastle still have questions to answer up front, especially with ongoing transfer interest never far away. Last January, Eintracht Frankfurt were also linked with him, but his comments suggest he is not dwelling on what might have been.
He scored against Manchester United in March and won the Premier League's Guinness Goal of the Month, a reminder of the impact he can make when given minutes. "As long as I'm on the pitch, I feel like, the more you play the more you can show. This is how it is yeah?" he said.
This season, Osula will wear Anthony Gordon's old number, another small sign that he is moving into a more prominent role. Whether that continues under Eddie Howe or a new boss, Matthias Jaissle, the next step is simple: keep earning chances and make them count.
And if his goal against Manchester United comes up on his phone? "If it comes on my phone [the goal] I don't scroll past it!"
