Nacer Chadli laments 'frustrating' Tottenham spell ahead of West Brom debut

West Bromwich Albion's record signing Nacer Chadli has spoken of his frustration regarding his time at Tottenham Hotspur which saw him marginalised by Mauricio Pochettino prior to his move to the Midlands. The Belgium international has not played this season having become a peripheral member of the Spurs first team squad but is braced for his debut against AFC Bournemouth this weekend.

The 27-year-old moved to The Hawthorns for a club record £13m (€15.4m), according to The Express and Star, in August after failing to play a single minute for the north London club since the start of the campaign. Chadli was a key member of the team which finished third in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Champions League, after making 40 appearances in all competitions.

However, the signings of Victor Wanyama, Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko saw Chadli plummet down the pecking order. The former FC Twente man has spoken of his disappointment at how his career at White Hart Lane ended but admits, after making his debut in a friendly against Delhi Dynamos, he is ready for a new challenge with the Baggies.

"It was good to have that feeling back of having the ball at my feet," he told Sky Sports. "It was very frustrating [at Tottenham]. I trained all week but did not play. It was a difficult situation but I'm out of it now. It feels good to be a West Brom player.

"I wanted to play games and had a few clubs interested but West Brom came very quickly, and they showed concrete interest and wanted to make it happen. I thought that if they really want me, it's important for me to go there and prove myself.

"That's why I chose West Brom. It's important for me to have game time and I think West Brom is a good decision. I want to make an impact. I want to give back. I enjoyed playing a few minutes and it was good to play with my new team-mates because I've only trained with them once."

Chadli arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2013 as one of the raft of players who replaced Gareth Bale following his move to Real Madrid. However, following that spree of spending from just three years ago under then manager Andre Villas-Boas just two players remain, in the form of Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela.