Serge Aurier has claimed that he turned down a new long-term deal with Paris Saint-Germain as he wanted to experience 'a new life' at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Ivory Coast international was snapped up by Spurs on a five-year contract on deadline day, bringing an end to his controversial spell in the French capital.
Aurier was at the centre of a number of off-the-field incidents during his three years with PSG, but he hopes that a change of scenery will be enough for him to prove that he is among the continent's best right-backs.
"I wanted a new life because PSG didn't respect my true worth," he told The Sun. "They dwelt on other matters beside football. Statistically speaking, I am the most influential defender in Ligue 1 between 2013 and now. I have also won nine trophies with PSG.
"There are more striking things about my career than what happened off the field, but this is what they preferred to linger over. I feel free now. PSG offered me a new three-year deal, but I have left them for a new adventure. I turned them down for a number of reasons. I want to discover a new way of life.
"I got on well with everyone at the club - bosses, players, coaches and fans - and the proof comes from the fact they wanted to keep me. But I had to think of myself. It is a personal decision. I had some business with the police that was blown up by the media in Europe.
"Normally when a matter goes on for a year or more they move on to something else. But in my case, there was far too much of a fuss. If I hadn't been mentally strong I would have cracked up."
Among Aurier's list of misdemeanours is a two-month suspended jail sentence last summer for attacking a police officer in Paris, which was later downgraded on appeal.
Daniel Lewis
