New Sunderland defender Ondrej Celustka has been talking in his homeland about his whirlwind move to Wearside.

Celustka completed a year-long loan deal for earlier this week from Turkish club Tranzonspor, becoming the tenth new arrival at the Stadium of Light this summer.

In a lengthy interview with www.idnes.cz, the 24-year-old admitted that the lure of the Premier League was tough to resist, even if it meant having to give up European football this season.

I played for the team all four matches preliminary round of the Europa League. But we [Trabzonspor] had too many foreigners and needed to make reductions. So when the offer came in from Sunderland, it suited them. Games against the top teams in England are like playing in the Champions League. The whole world watches the Premier League. Together with the German Bundesliga it is currently the best competition in the world. It's a great motivation. I have to try and play as many matches as I can.

The full back insisted, however, that Sunderland were far from the only club interested in him, and he couldn't be happier with his decision.

Mainz and Lokomotiv Moscow were interested in me. But with Sunderland I didn't think twice. They have been playing in the Premier League for several consecutive seasons.



So far from what I have seen, the facilities are at a great level, as is the Stadium. There are apparently around 40,000 people there for every game. So far, Sunderland have made the best impression on me.

And how is he settling in? Very well it seems, although it hasn't taken him long to feel the sting of Paolo Di Canio's famed iron rule.

It all happened so quickly that I arrived in England with virtually no clothes. I asked the coach if I could go back to Turkey to pick up my stuff, but he wouldn't let me go! He wants to integrate me into the team as soon as possible.

The fact that Di Canio seems so intent on getting him up to speed with such urgency will be reassuring to us all. Sunderland fans have all but forgotten what a genuine specialist right back looks like since Phil Bardsley's spectacular fall from grace over the last couple of years.

Will Celustka be on the all important teamsheet when Sunderland host Fulham on the opening day of the Premier League season, though?

There were a few hints [that I'd start the game], but I don't want to jinx it. In the first training session he automatically put me in at right back. It felt good.

All generally very positive, then. Let's hope Celustka walks the walk as well as he talks the talk.