Samir Nasri discusses leaving Manchester City for Sevilla: "I needed a change"

Samir Nasri was one of the big-name players who left Manchester City last summer when Pep Guardiola arrived. The Catalan coach came in and all of a sudden, Joe Hart, Nasri, Wilfried Bony and Eliaquim Mangala all went to different clubs on loan, and all of them are enjoying relative success and good playing time at their new teams.

Nasri is perhaps the one who has benefitted the most from the change of scenery. Since joining Sevilla in La Liga, the Frenchman is one of the "untouchables" on Jorge Sampaoli's squad. The Chilean manager is known for his bold, attacking style that requires very skilled players, and Nasri provides exactly that. Samir has said goodbye to the injuries that plagued him last season at City, and has rejuvenated his career in Spain.

The City loanee revealed the reasons for the change of clubs, and insisted that Pep Guardiola did not want him to leave, and the decision to go away was entirely up to Nasri himself:

"I had a good pre-season but needed a change. Guardiola wanted me to stay.

"In my last season, I had many injuries and wanted to start something new, fresh. So I contacted other clubs but, when I heard Sevilla, I knew I needed to come here. If you know anything about football, you know that Sevilla has returned many players back to the top."

Nasri consulted his Spanish teammates, and heard great things about Sevilla and the league, and despite not wanting to lose his player, Guardiola also gave Samir a good advice about the club. His mind was made up.

"I also asked Jesus Navas, [David] Silva and Nolito about the club, the city, and everything was good. I talked to Guardiola and he told me there is a great coach in [Sevilla assistant] Juanma Lillo. That was all I needed to know. It was perfect for me."

Source: MEN

There are rumors flying around that Sevilla are considering signing Nasri next summer on a permanent transfer, but Guardiola will certainly want him back. That'll be fun.