Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew says that Moussa Sissoko’s match-winning display against Chelsea has seen him already prove his worth.
With the Magpies 2-1 down Sissoko netted the leveller and then bagged a stoppage time winner to send the St James’ faithful into hysterics.
The French midfield engine was reportedly snapped up for only £1.8 m from Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
The 23-year-old Sissoko was excellent in his debut against Aston Villa but he really proved what he was capable of against the European champions.
"We accelerated (the deal) because he was going to come in summer and he's paid us back handsomely," said Pardew.
"I don't need to say anything about him because his performance said it all.
"I remember watching him for Toulouse 14 months ago and I thought he is definitely the one for us, if we can get him.
"We watched him and looked at him for a long time and we'd set our sights on him early, which is a good thing."
Sissoko has signed a six-and-a-half-year contract at Newcastle and numbers among a large contingent of French players currently at the North-East club.
"It was a fantastic afternoon, we knew it would be a complicated game. We knew we needed to press on after the Aston Villa game and to get two goals was fantastic,” the player revealed.
"Ever since I was a child I've always dreamed of playing in England. Playing in front of fantastic crowd like that, I'm happy I scored the goals thanks to a fantastic team performance."