Andy Reid is looking forward to a fresh start at Charlton Athletic - but admits a sense of frustration after seeing his first-team chances limited with Tottenham.
The midfielder, now 24, was regarded as one of the brightest talents outside the top flight when he moved from Nottingham Forest during January 2005 for £4million in a deal which also brought centre-back Michael Dawson to White Hart Lane.
However, less than 30 appearances for Spurs followed as a combination of injury and manager Martin Jol's rotation policy limited his impact.
The Republic of Ireland international - now close to full fitness following a recent foot problem - is clearly irked by the disappointment of not playing more of a major role with his former employers, but cannot wait to get stuck into training at new surroundings.
'When I went to Spurs, I was flying from doing well at Forest and things were going really well,' Reid recalled.
'But then I picked up a couple of injuries and I missed three or four months of the season. The club had started to bring in a few new players and I suppose it just seemed like the opportunities were not there for me.'
Reid added: 'When people asked me during the summer if I was leaving I said no because I firmly believed I was going to stay until this opportunity came up, and for me it was too good to turn down.
'I need to be playing football week-in, week-out and that is the main reason I have come here, to play. The club is moving in the right direction and think it is a club that is going places.'
Although Reid is now well on the way to regaining full match fitness, the Barclays Premiership opener at West Ham on Saturday may come too soon for his Charlton debut. The midfielder said: 'I still need a bit of work, having been out for around four-and-a-half weeks now.'
Reid, however, is not expecting to walk straight into the new-look Addicks side. He said: 'I am the same as everyone else here. I have to go out and prove I deserve to be in the team and stay there. I am under no illusions about that because there are a lot of quality players here.'
