• Europa League

Nasri not feeling weight of £24m transfer fee

ESPN staff
February 21, 2012
Samir Nasri hopes Arsenal do not continue to struggle

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Samir Nasri insists the size of the £24 million transfer fee paid by Manchester City for his services is not to blame for his unspectacular start to life at Eastlands.

Nasri became one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Premier League at Arsenal last season, but he has failed to hit those same heights since switching Emirates Stadium for the Etihad.

The France international is preparing for the second leg of City's Europa League tie with Porto, which they lead 2-1, and he insists any question marks over the money paid by City are for the club - not him - to answer.

"It's always tough when you change and go to another team, you have to be involved 100 per cent and I wasn't. Now I start to feel settled and you'll see a better Samir every week," Nasri told the media.

"I'm confident in my quality. You will see that. I never asked Man City to pay £24 million. It was a lot of money, but every transfer has a lot of money. You want to give something to those people for bringing you here, but the money? That's not my problem.

"At Arsenal I was playing higher in a 4-3-3, here I play in a 4-4-2 so you have to work more defensively. I understood that, and I want to show it hasn't been a mistake."

Asked if the current troubles of Arsenal, who appear to be heading for another trophyless season, prove to Nasri that he was correct to leave the club, the Frenchman spoke warmly of his former employers and admits he hoped they would not struggle in his absence.

"I don't want Arsenal to fall. I wanted them to win the FA Cup because I have a lot of respect for the players and manager," Nasri said. "I know I made the right choice, so after [the move] how Arsenal do does not matter."

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