Hatem Ben Arfa has admitted that he feels wanted by Hull City manager Steve Bruce following his reported fallout with Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew.
The Frenchman was dropped into the development squad towards the end of last season at St James' Park after numerous alleged disagreements with Pardew.
Following his exile, Ben Arfa was able to seal a loan move to the KC Stadium on transfer deadline day on Monday.
"The manager wants me here, and that is very important," the Sunderland Echo quotes Ben Arfa as saying. "The welcome was amazing. I was almost crying.
"I was shocked to see so many people there at midnight waiting for me. It was great and I thank them. When I woke up on Monday morning, there was nothing on the cards.
"Then, in the afternoon the call came and everything happened very quickly after that. At 1am, everything was complete, and I was very happy."
The 27-year-old joined Newcastle back in 2010 from Marseille.