Sebastien Bassong has swapped a tilt at the Champions League for a Premier League survival scrap – and he could not be happier.

The 26-year-old is poised to make his Norwich debut against QPR today after cutting his ties with Tottenham following talks with Andre Villas-Boas that left him in no doubt he was down the pecking order at White Hart Lane this coming season.

'It wasn't an easy decision because you've got to think about everything,' he said. 'Sometimes you have to take a decision and when you weigh up the plusses and minuses then Norwich were the best for me.

'I have been talking with AVB a lot and we get along well. We both agreed that I needed to move on so that was okay. Playing week in, week out is something that I'm looking forward to, but to do that you've got deserve to, so you've got to work hard in training to deserve to be in the starting XI. Without that you're not going to play every week.

'It's going to be a tough battle to stay in the Premier League. We want to be part of it so there's no place for silly mistakes. We've got to work hard and concentrate.'

Bassong concedes he need to re-ignite a career that stalled at White Hart Lane after a cherished spell at Newcastle earned him a big-money move south. The Cameroon international was restricted to 44 appearances in a three-year stint in north London and ended last season on loan at relegated Wolves – where he played at Carrow Road in the Canaries' 2-1 home league win.

The Parisian-born defender arrives back in Norfolk at the start of a longer term stint aiming to recreate the experience he enjoyed on Tyneside.

'I think that was one of the happiest times of my career. That was my debut in England and I was discovering everything about England,' he said. 'At Tottenham I've been through some good and bad moments but a footballer's career can happen like this so I don't regret anything. It's a fresh start for me. I want a clean slate and maybe we will see the real Seb Bassong again.

'When I signed for Tottenham it was for quite a big fee. We got in the Champions League and then it went bad a bit. Now I'm just looking to be a good player that can add something to the team and we all want to do a great job together.'

Bassong is pledging to add some ballast to a Norwich backline which was torn apart by Fulham at Craven Cottage.

'I'm meant to be a powerful defender and I'm just trying to add to the team they have got already here,' he said.

'Altogether, I think we can do a great job. I think we've got to learn from the defeat last weekend and we're ready to bounce back. There's nothing you can do except work to improve.

'When you get a result it gives you confidence. We are at home so we have got to make sure that we welcome them (QPR) really well. They want to make sure they don't start with two defeats just like we don't.

'But the season is really long so it's better to lose 5-0 now than later on this season. The earlier we learn from our mistakes, the better we will be.'

City chief Chris Hughton worked closely with Bassong at Newcastle and predicts his latest acquistion can add an extra dimension to the club's defensive unit.

'He is perhaps different in a couple of ways to what we already had here. He is quite a powerful lad, he has that pace and he is also a left footer,' said. Hughton.

'If I look at the centre halves at this moment, even though Elliott Ward has a very good left foot, Seb would be the only natural left footer from the centre halves we have.'