Samir Nasri: Manchester City were always my first choice - never United
New Manchester City signing Samir Nasri has taken a swipe at Manchester United, insisting he never wanted to join the league champions.
The French midfielder ended one of the summer’s on-going transfer sagas by finally penning a deal at the Ethiad Stadium, and he claims City were always his first choice destination, despite interest from United.
‘I did not see myself leaving England. The question arose of whether to go to United or City,’ said Nasri.
‘But I prefer to make history with a club, rather than be just one player among the rest. I spoke with Patrick Vieira at City — they are the club of the future.
‘My transfer has been a real saga. It's a huge relief to have finally signed and I am very happy.’
Nasri also offered an insight into the factors that led to his Arsenal departure, and suggested the lack of competition for places at the Gunners played an important role in his decision.
He added: ‘City have an enormous squad but the competition for places will make me challenge myself and improve my game.
‘I won't retreat into a comfort zone — and maybe that is what I did when I was at Arsenal.
‘Joining City is a risk but you take risks throughout your life. In any case, I am not afraid — I weighed up the pros and the cons.’
The former Marseille playmaker was also unimpressed with the Gunners lack of investment in the transfer market, and hinted the north Londoners dallied too long when negotiating his own contract renewal.
‘I started talks with Arsenal about a contract extension last October,’ said Nasri.
‘But June came around and I had not heard any news and I could not see any players being brought in during the transfer window.
‘At a given point you have to make an investment. I would hear from time to time it was 'a question of money'.
‘It's fair to say I will earn a good living at City. But I am 24, I have reached a turning point in my career and it was important for me to join a club that matched my ambitions.
‘I see myself more likely to win trophies at City now than if I had stayed at Arsenal.’
James Lawton: With his embarrassment of riches, it is now Mancini's duty to attack on all fronts
Once again we have it, one of those earth-moving collisions between the pride of Manchester and north London. United against Arsenal should also be quite intriguing.
A little premature, you think? Maybe so but it is also true that when Manchester City appear at White Hart Lane tomorrow afternoon there could be something in the air largely absent since a young Malcolm Allison engaged in a public discussion with Sir Matt Busby.
It came when the elder statesman of Old Trafford injected into his after-dinner speech a formal greeting to the new gun in town. "Welcome, Mr Allison," said Busby to polite applause, "and here's hoping you give us a run for our money." Allison's response was predictably bold. "Don't worry, Baby, you'll have to run harder than you ever did before," he shouted across the room.
If the naturally more circumspect Roberto Mancini has yet to challenge Sir Alex Ferguson in quite such terms, maybe it will happen now. Or perhaps his players, if sufficiently unrestrained, will say it for him. Heaven knows, if he didn't have them before, he has them now. The criticism of Mancini has always been that he has caution in his bones. Yes, he ticked off his objectives but when would he take his men off the leash? Maybe when they made it to the Champions League – or picked up their first piece of silver in a mid-sized lifetime.
The doubts lingered, inevitably when United overran them in the Community Shield and a £200,000-a-week player like Yaya Touré and the virtuoso David Silva were required to stand in the wings and acknowledge that for a little while longer at least the status quo had been preserved. Yet if Mancini's resources have strengthened remarkably these last few weeks, it is also true that his default position has become virtually untenable.
Allison attacked because the instinct came from the deepest reaches of his nature. Mancini is now required to do the same, at least within reason, because anything else would be perverse. Allison noted that players of the quality of Mike Doyle, Glyn Pardoe and Alan Oakes had first to be persuaded of their own ability. In the case of Oakes, the giveaway was that he tended to sweat profusely before going out on to the field.
Mancini has no such obligation, not when he considers the nature of men like Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri, Silva and Touré, and weighs the impact they have already produced when given half an invitation.
Where we can be sure Mancini will have a stride on Allison is in the battlefields of Europe. However confident he becomes in the strength of his new attacking forces, he will be mindful enough of the possibilities of ambush when he faces such as Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal in the Champions League action. His great predecessor showed minimal caution when City swept brilliantly to the First Division title and drew Fenerbahce in the first round of the European Cup. Allison said that it was a case of next stop Mars. Europe, he said, was filled with cowards. City would sweep beyond them. Of course, they drew at Maine Road and lost in Istanbul.
No, there need be no lurking fears for tomorrow's City when they launch themselves on a new phase of their challenge – only the fear of fear itself. That was never a possibility for a team which contained Francis Lee, Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee and nor should it be for the one which has made, Wembley aside, such an impressive start to the new campaign.
We certainly know what the best of Nasri means. It is attacking football of the richest texture, it is pace, bite and remarkable skill, and if he sometimes displayed a disappointing reluctance to take charge of a game in the absence of Cesc Fabregas, there is no question about the value of his individual impact.
It is Aguero, though, who represents City's best chance of announcing new dimensions at White Hart Lane – and a new appetite for playing the kind of football that should remove the last evidence of the psychological damage picked up by their fans over the years. The absurdly irritating Poznan procedure is not so much celebration as evidence of old scarring. Certainly, the demeanour and the play of Diego Maradona's son-in-law would suggest an overwhelming desire for everyone to turn their faces towards what is left of the sun.
Nothing, surely, has been more uplifting in this young season than Aguero's thrilling arrival at Eastlands. It seemed that he brought more than a brilliant facility to play superior football, to run into dangerous positions and inflict all of his skill, not just on behalf of himself but all of his team-mates.
There was also his ability to convey his own pleasure, its accessibility to all who saw it expressed so joyously, so utterly without a hint of ambiguity.
Some worried the other night that Mancini was more concerned with the two goals conceded than the three fashioned brilliantly at Bolton, but then maybe we should not forget that whatever else Mancini is, and might become, he is also an Italian football man.
It is too much to ask that such a man easily surrenders his grief over a sloppily conceded goal. This is not, after all, quite the same as spilling a cappuccino over the new Armani.
As it happens, it was not something that Malcolm Allison suffered lightly. That is why he slaved to make big Joe Corrigan such a fine goalkeeper and brought in the old stonemason Tony Book from the West Country and rhapsodised over the progress of a baby-faced young Scotsman named Willie Donnachie.
There was a time when such memories were a rebuke to the team that laboured in the shadow of Manchester United. But not now they have become just a few more points of inspiration.
Dedryck Boyata joins Bolton on loan from Man City
Boyata made five Premier League starts for Manchester City last season Bolton have signed central defender Dedryck Boyata from Manchester City on a season-long loan deal.
The 20-year-old Belgium international has found first-team opportunities limited at Etihad Stadium.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle said "To bring in a player of Dedryck's age and quality is something, as we have shown before, that we like to do.
"He is a tremendous addition. His versatility means that he can operate at centre-half and full-back."
I have seen how he [Owen Coyle] got the best out of young players like Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge
Coyle added: "He has got pace and power and is a flexible and dynamic player."
Boyata has made 23 appearances in the last two seasons at City, but he is behind the likes of Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott and Stefan Savic in the pecking order.
Boyata said: "I am only 20 years old and I am still learning and want to improve. To come to Bolton Wanderers for a loan period is a great opportunity to do that.
"I'm really looking forward to working with the manager. I have seen how he got the best out of young players like Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge."
The move for Boyata comes on the same day that Bolton rejected a bid from Arsenal for central defender Gary Cahill.
Inter Milan's proposed Carlos Tevez swap deal for Wesley Sneijder fails to tempt Manchester City
Manchester City have rejected a renewed attempt by Inter Milan to swap Wesley Sneijder for Carlos Tévez with Roberto Mancini revealing that the Argentine forward is ready to stay at the club after moving his family from Buenos Aires to Manchester.
Manchester City, who could hand £23 million signing Samir Nasri a debut at Tottenham on Sunday, were approached by Inter officials 10 days ago as the Italians attempted to capitalise on the delay in completing Nasri's move from Arsenal by offering Sneijder in exchange for Tévez.
While neighbours Manchester United have been engaged in a lengthy pursuit of Sneijder, City rejected the chance to sign the £35 million-rated Dutch midfielder.
Inter's offer underlines the widely-held perception that they are keen to cash in on Sneijder, but it is understood that United will not renew their interest ahead of Wednesday's transfer deadline unless the player drastically reduces his salary demands.
Tévez's decision to move his family to Manchester is regarded as significant by City, however, due to his repeated insistence that his attempt to leave the club was in order to be closer to his two daughters.
And Mancini believes the 27 year-old can now look forward to bolstering City's attempt to win the Premier League. "For Carlos, it has always been about family reasons, but his family is here now," Mancini said. "If his family is here, I think he can stay.
"This is a good moment for this club because Carlos is one of the best players that we have. If Carlos stays, we have four strikers and we can use Nasri like a midfielder. We can choose between these players if we have four strikers. It is better."
Mancini believes the acquisitions of Nasri and Sergio Agüero will help convince Tévez to remain for at least one more year. "I think that for a player who sees these good players arriving in this good team, after we won the FA Cup last year, he can think maybe we will win a title this year."
Nasri, meanwhile, insists that the pursuit of glory is his sole motivation for moving. "Money is not a factor," Nasri said. "People can think what they like. It was a choice about football and we will see that at the end of the season when we lift a trophy and talk about my choice again.
"People who talk about money will see that they are wrong. Money does not buy happiness, that's for sure. I am 24 and everyone says I am a good player, but I haven't won anything.
''I loved my time with Arsenal but I have never won anything with them. Sometimes you have to bring in big players to win. Arsenal always relied on experienced players, but since they moved to the Emirates Stadium, their transfer policy has been a little bit different."
Despite being urged by France team-mate Patrice Evra to join United, Nasri insists he made the right choice. "Patrice likes to tease people. He likes to make jokes, it's fine, and we will see about it at the end.
"At City, I want to be part of history and win titles over the next few years. It is a bigger achievement if we can do it (than United) and I prefer to be part of history than just another player."
I'll win over the boo boys: Ex-Gunner Adebayor relishing fresh start at Spurs
Emmanuel Adebayor has urged Tottenham's fans to forget his time at Arsenal and support him in his quest to score the goals that will help him put the club back in to the Champions League.
Adebayor completed his season-long loan from Manchester City yesterday after being deemed surplus to requirements by manager Roberto Mancini.
The retired Togo striker's move to White Hart Lane is a controversial one as he spent three and a half years at Spurs' bitter north London rivals Arsenal.
Some Tottenham fans have never hidden their dislike of the 27-year-old, and have chanted offensive songs - one of which anti-racism group Kick It Out condemned - at the striker whenever he faced the White Hart Lane club.
Adebayor is keen to put all that confrontation behind him, though, as he feels that he can fire Harry Redknapp's men into the top four, possibly at the expense of Arsene Wenger's side.
'You have to be strong to decide to come to Tottenham, I played for three and a half years for Arsenal and there's a lot of rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal,' Adebayor told Spurs TV Online.
'All I want is to play football and to enjoy myself and today I'm a Tottenham footballer, what I have to do is enjoy myself on and off the pitch.
'For me, the past is the past, I'm looking forward to the future.'
Redknapp has been in the market for a striker all summer after the likes of Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko all struggled in front of goal last term.
Adebayor enjoyed a reasonable first season at City after arriving from Arsenal in 2009, but soon fell out with Mancini and was shipped out on loan to Real Madrid in January, where he scored twice against Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Look out: Emmanuel Adebayor in the stands watching Spurs
Despite his history with Arsenal, and the chants aimed his way, Adebayor did not have to think twice when Redknapp came calling.
'Tottenham have always been a good club. I know a lot of the players and I have a lot of friends here, so when I got the call to come and join the club and to help the club achieve what they want to achieve, I quickly said yes,' he said.
The public spat with Mancini was acrimonious and the Italian has made it clear that he has no intention of playing the striker again.
Adebayor admits the episode dented his confidence, but he is now sure he can excel under Redknapp's tutelage.
'I've been through a lot of difficult moments,' he added.
'What I need is to play football. Harry Redknapp is a great manager and a great person. As a footballer it is really important to work with a person who really understands you, which is the key for me and he's one of the few who really understands me which is good for me.
'There's a lot of good players here and I'm here to do my job, score goals, play football, enjoy myself once again on the pitch.
'I'm in a club where everyone has confidence in me, everyone trusts me, everyone knows what I am capable of doing, which is important for me, and it's up to me to show them that they are not wrong.'
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[/spoiler] Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told Bolton they can keep Gary Cahill, if chairman Phil Gartside and manager Owen Coyle maintain their stance that his initial offer for the player - rumoured to be £6m - is "derisory". Metro
Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has insisted that Luka Modric is "happy" to stay at Spurs. talkSHIT
Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka and Manchester City's Roque Santa Cruz are both targets for Spanish side Real Betis. Daily Mirror
Newcastle are set for crunch talks over Lyon defender Aly Cissokho. talkSPORT
Arsenal's negotiators are working overtime in a bid to sign Parma starlet Danilo Pereira before transfer-deadline day. Metro
Sunderland are set to go back in for Tottenham's Peter Crouch, with Stoke's attempts to sign the Spurs and England striker at a standstill. Daily Mirror
Chelsea are ready to part company with central defender Alex in a bid to secure the signing of Milos Krasic from Juventus. Metro
Striker Carlton Cole wants to stay at West Ham, even though they accepted a £6m bid from Stoke for him. Daily Mirror
Chelsea are in the hunt for Porto schemer Joao Moutinho as their chase for Luka Modric falters. Daily Mail
Stoke are preparing a £2m swoop for 18-year-old Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha. Daily Mail
Newcastle chief Derek Llambias has taken a final swipe at Joey Barton following his free transfer to QPR.: Metro
Shamrock Rovers' Karl Sheppard has blamed someone hacking his Twitter account for a post in which he appeared to admit diving for the game-winning penalty against Partizan Belgrade, a result which earned the Irish side a Europa League group spot alongside Spurs. Metro
BROWN ENVELOPE BOLLOX
IT MAY have cost nearly three times as much to assemble and have barely half the international experience, but Harry Redknapp reckons Manchester City’s squad is now stronger than Barcelona’s.
The extraordinary claim comes on the day that Harry Redknapp was finally able to welcome Emmanuel Adebayor to training following his loan move from Manchester City – a sharing of talent that would have been unthinkable 15 months ago when the two clubs were vying for the all-important fourth Champions League spot.
But after another summer of splashing the cash, Roberto Mancini is now competing against a very different calibre of rival.
Redknapp said: “They probably don’t see us as a threat any more. The days of them worrying about being in the top four are gone. They are now looking at winning the championship. That’s how strong they are.
“Their squad is unbelievable. That is the strongest squad by far, anywhere. I would say their squad is stronger than Barcelona’s. It’s an amazing squad they have got there. I’m not saying they have got a Lionel Messi, but they have got some great players: Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Mario Balotelli...
“They have people like Milner struggling to get in the team and Adam Johnson you don’t see playing any more. Wayne Bridge doesn’t get anywhere near the team. They took Gael Clichy from Arsenal and he wasn’t even in the team last week. It’s such a powerful squad. It’s scary.
“They will eventually be challenging for everything because they have the resources to keep bringing in the best players in the world. They will be challenging for the Champions League.
“Eventually, if the owner stays with the club, which I’m sure he will do, they will win the Premier League one day.”
As a result, Redknapp is surprised Tevez seemed so eager to leave the revolution, but admitted that players these days have so much more power to engineer a move if they are minded to.
He has experienced that himself from the other side with the relentless pursuit of Luka Modric from Chelsea and praised his player for being the bigger man in a metaphorical if not a physical sense.
“You can stand firm, but it depends who the player is, because if a player wants to cause enough problems they’ll get away,” said Redknapp. “If he’s a good lad and he’s not a problem, like Luka, then you’ve got a chance to keep him. But if he comes in and says, ‘Listen here, I’m gonna screw your team up, I ain’t gonna train properly, I’m gonna be aggravation to you in the dressing room every day unless you sell me’, then you’ve got a problem.
“It hasn’t happened to me, but I know it has happened 1,000 times with other players. I’ve even seen a player, when I was playing, hold a manager up against the wall because he wouldn’t sell him.”
So has Modric’s character made it easy for Tottenham to make a stand then? “Well, it helps he’s only 5ft 4ins,” said Redknapp. “If he was 6ft 10ins and told me he wanted to go, I would have said go! Let’s hope we’ve seen the end of the Luka situation. Until the deadline comes and goes, who knows, but we want to keep him and I want to play him on Sunday. He needs to play on Sunday for sure.”
Talks began with West ham’s Scott Parker yesterday about a move back to the top flight, but he won’t be arriving before tomorrow’s game.
Redknapp said: “There’s interest but I don’t know if it will happen. It’s just a case of seeing if it’s do-able.”
In fact, neither of the two signings he has managed will be on show either. Adebayor is ineligible to play against his main employers under Premier League rules and Iago Falque, on loan from Juventus, is more an investment for the future.
All the more reason for a tinge of jealousy when Mancini wheels out his big-money acquisitions like £38m signing Aguero – previously a transfer target for Redknapp. “Oh, we looked at him,” said Redknapp. “But when we saw his wages, we looked the other way.
“Last season he was already on £160,000 or £180,000 a week. He was never going to come to Tottenham. It was impossible, we can’t pay those wages.”
