Sebastien Bassong: "Playing for Newcastle was a real honour in front of the supporters at St James' Park.
"It has been an unbelievable experience for me.
"But I have always said that I wanted to play in the Premier League and that wasn't possible with Newcastle.
"It was not good for my career to be at a Championship club. I want to play in future World Cups and African Cup of Nations competitions with Cameroon.
"That is made more difficult if you are not playing at the higher level."