Samir Nasri: Arsene Wenger was my idol but I had to leave Arsenal

Samir Nasri has revealed Arsene Wenger was his idol and a major influence behind him signing for Arsenal but he had to leave for Manchester City in the pursuit of success. The Frenchman found superb form in the 2011/12 season under his compatriot but left in controversial circumstances to join City for £24million. Nasri has become an extremely unpopular figure at the Emirates after his move away but he admitted he still has a fondness for Arsenal and Wenger. ‘Arsenal were a team I already really liked because Arsene Wenger was their manager and there were always a lot of French players,’ the 29-year-old told Uefa. ‘When I met Arsene Wenger, he was a role model and it was a great opportunity to work with him. I didn’t hesitate for a second.’ However, Nasri explained he had to leave Arsenal in order to win trophies. ‘It gave me the chance to win trophies: the Premier League, the League Cup and the Community Shield,’ he added. Games: 8 Goals: 2 Assists: 1 Key passes per game: 1.1 ‘We didn’t really have much success in the Champions League apart from last season when we got to the semi-finals. ‘As a player I progressed in a lot of ways because I was playing in a side with a lot of big-name players. I had to be able to adapt. I had to work for the team. ‘I’ve got very fond memories because of two very good seasons; there were others that weren’t so good but that helped me to become tougher mentally.’ Nasri is currently on loan at Sevilla, where he has two goals and an assist under his belt in eight La Liga starts so far.