Vurnon Anita admits he had interest from other clubs during the summer transfer window, but says he was not ready to call time on his spell at Newcastle United.
The Magpies were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season and a number of their stars were instantly targeted by other clubs.
Notably they lost Moussa Sissoko to Tottenham Hotspur, while Georginio Wijnaldum headed to link up with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Anita however stayed put and is now working hard to help the Magpies bounce back to the English top flight at the first time of asking; he clocked up all 90 minutes in a 2-0 win at Barnsley on Tuesday night, which sent Newcastle top of the Championship.
But Anita did have interest in the summer, meaning he could potentially have avoided playing second division football.
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"There was some indirect interest, also from the Netherlands", he told Dutch magazine Voetbal International.
“At Newcastle I have experienced many good times, in difficult times like now I did not feel ready to need to leave.
“And I liked working with the manager, Rafa Benitez, in the second half of last season", Anita continued.
“My contract expires after this season, so it's a year on full throttle."
Newcastle snapped the 27-year-old up from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer of 2012.
Anita is a midfielder by trade, but is also able to operate defensively.
So far this season, Anita has clocked up 12 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies, as boss Rafael Benitez has sought to make him a key member of the side, operating primarily in the right-back slot.
