'I dreamed of joining Newcastle but instead struck an agreement with Sunderland'

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Peter Crouch has admitted he wished he had signed a deal with Newcastle , despite having agreed to join Sunderland . The Tyne-Wear derby is set for Sunday with a 12:30pm kick-off as Newcastle recover from an 8-3 aggregate defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League .

Both sides are within two points of each other, with the Magpies sitting above their city rivals at the upper end of the Premier League table. Despite being on the brink of signing for Sunderland during his playing career, Crouch always harboured dreams of pulling on Newcastle's iconic black and white kit.

The ex-Premier League forward played for several clubs in England's top tier, including Portsmouth, Aston Villa , Liverpool , Tottenham and Stoke City . However, a potential switch to St James' Park never came to fruition, much to Crouch's regret.

A move to the north-east appeared on the cards in 2009 when he agreed terms to sign for Sunderland. The former England ace visited the training ground, met then-manager Steve Bruce and even scoped out properties in anticipation of a transfer from Portsmouth.

It was on his way home that the 44-year-old received a call from ex-boss Harry Redknapp who urged him to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. The duo had previously worked alongside one another at Portsmouth and Southampton .

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Redknapp secured his target with Crouch moving to north London for a £10million fee. Years following the transfer saga, Crouch didn't hesitate when asked to name one club he wished he had represented.

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"I reckon there's something special about being Newcastle's number nine," Crouch said. "Whenever I go up there, I feel like it's a football city and when I think of the old centre forwards that have performed well for Newcastle, you're like the hero, aren't you?

"If I had scored goals for Newcastle... Even the music before the game they play up at Newcastle. I've always enjoyed playing as an away player there.

"They understand football. They live and breathe it. If I had gone in just after that Alan Shearer phase, I would have been at a good age then, but these things don't work out.

"It's all hypothetical, but if I had to pick one club to play for, it would have been Newcastle."

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The privilege of being Newcastle's main striker is something Shearer enjoyed for a decade and a dream he held as he grew up supporting the club.

Speaking in 2019 at NBC's Premier League Mornings Live event, the former England forward said: "I grew up in Newcastle supporting and going to St James' Park.

"The No. 9 is an iconic number for the people of Newcastle United . Jackie Milburn was my dad's hero, Malcolm McDonald, all these No. 9s that have had it, and I just felt that if I was going back there I'd love to have that No. 9 shirt.

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