Wayne Routledge: I hope to settle at Magpies

Jan 27 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

Wayne Routledge hopes his travelling days are over after signing for Newcastle United, as he tells Mark Douglas in an exclusive interview

WAYNE Routledge believes a move to Newcastle United will signal the end of his days as a footballing nomad – and give him the perfect platform to fulfil the potential that once saw him tipped for an England call-up.

The 25-year-old, capped at England under-16, under-19 and under-21 levels during the early parts of his burgeoning career, has eight different clubs on his CV including spells at Tottenham, Aston Villa and Fulham.

It has been a frustrating career path for Routledge, who freely admits the constant changes have dented his reputation as one of the Football League’s most promising talents.

He believed that moving to cash-rich QPR in 2008 would be the move that would give him stability, but the incredible circumstances at Loftus Road – which Routledge diplomatically opted not to talk about – meant he was always likely to be on the move in January.

“I know I have had a lot of clubs but it’s not like I have not been trying to settle over the last few years,” he said.

“I thought QPR was going to be the answer and I would be staying there for a while. I signed for them and thought that would be it but things happened that were out of my control. I wanted stability but there is only so much you can do about it.

“I don’t really want to talk about the politics there because this is a fresh start for me and a huge opportunity at a massive club. I’m excited and this is the perfect place to put down roots – I’d have been mad to turn it down.