Bacary Sagna has revealed that he needed to leave Arsenal in order to boost his career.
The French full-back had been at the London side for seven years before leaving this summer on a free transfer to Manchester City, and believes he made the switch at the right time.
Sky Sports quotes Sagna as saying, “I am 31 and this was the right time for me to leave Arsenal. I wanted to see somewhere new, and to boost my career.
“There are differences between Manchester and London as cities, regarding the weather and between the two clubs. I have left a family club, which I joined when I was very young and where I have known Arsene Wenger all the time.
“But I am now part of a much deeper squad at City, where it is even harder for me to win a first-team place, it is what I was looking for and what I needed to go the extra mile. Arsenal remain a quality side and I can understand the fans feeling frustrated when they see players moving to other clubs.
“It is fair to say that this move could pose a risk to my place in the France side, but I am not taking that into consideration. I feel more powerful than ever.”
Some have criticised the 31-year old’s decision to switch to the Manchester club, having been a regular at Arsenal for several years and will now have to compete with Argentina international Pablo Zabaleta for a place in City’s starting line-up.