Crystal Palace winger Bakary Sako has revealed that he turned down "crazy money" moves to places such as Qatar and Dubai in order to fulfill his Premier League dream with Crystal Palace.
The Mali international joined Palace this summer on a free transfer after his contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers expired at the end of last season and he has already scored twice in five appearances since arriving at Selhurst Park.
The 27-year-old said that he was convinced to join the Eagles because of the style of football that manager Alan Pardew believes in, and says that at his age the chance to play in the Premier League meant far more than money.
"I could have gone to Qatar or Dubai for crazy money, but I actually came here for less because I wanted to play in the Premier League," he told the Daily Express. "At my age I am not playing for money.
"This is an attractive team that plays football that suits me. We defend together, but when we have the ball the manager wants us to take people on, shoot and cross the ball. There are no restrictions. This club gave me my chance and I want to do well for them.
"[Pardew] has done a fantastic job since he came here and the players want to stick with him. He put me in the team straight away and gave me 90 minutes and that gave me a lot of confidence. He told me he thought I was definitely a Premier League player and he would give me the chance to score goals."
Sako played over an hour as Pardew's side beat Watford 1-0 on Sunday to move up to sixth in the Premier League table.
