BACARY SAGNA has stated that money wasn’t part of his move to Manchester City – he just didn’t feel welcome at Arsenal.
In 2014, the 38-year-old swapped Emirates for Etihad on a free transfer after seven years of service in north London.
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Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna left the club to join Manchester City in 2014Photo credit: The FA – Getty Images
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Sagna has refuted claims that money played a role in his move to the citizenryImage Credit: Getty – Contributor
Saga’s last of his 284 games for the Gunners came in a 3-2 win over Hull in the FA Cup final.
It was Arsenal’s first trophy in nine years since beating Manchester United in the same competition.
Former French right-back Sagna knew this would be his last game to fight the Tigers when he announced that contract talks to extend his stay were not going well.
He chose the Cityzens, where he won the League Cup during his three-year stay.
There have been rumors that his move to City came for financial reasons, with the player booed by Arsenal believers upon his return, but Sagna has dismissed those claims.
Speaking of his last game for Arsenal, he told SunSport on Freebets.com: “It was very difficult for me, even now I’m still emotional. It was my last game with the club I loved.
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“The conversations I had with them weren’t going well, so I had already decided that I was going to leave because I wanted to feel wanted.
“You really want to feel the love. I really did my best for the club, even if I wasn’t there mentally due to personal circumstances.”
“People criticize me today for leaving for money, but I stayed with the club for six years on the same contract and if you ask Arsene Wenger I never asked for more money.
“I really played with my heart so when I got back to the club and people started booing on me, it hurt.
“But I think that’s life and I still love the club very much and I want them to be safe.
“Even if I should criticize the team, it comes from a good side. If you love something, you have to be fair and honest.”
Arsenal were close to winning the Premier League in Sagna’s inaugural season but eventually finished third as the club’s poor form coincided with Eduardo’s horror broken leg.
And the ex-Auxerre defender has admitted his teammates were struggling with pressures to be in a title race.
Sagna, who described Samir Nasri as ‘crazy’, commented on why Arsenal couldn’t win the premier league: “We played to have fun.
“When we started playing for titles it put pressure on us and we thought about the other team’s results.
“We started playing with the handbrake on and changed the way we played when it went so well.”
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Sagna’s last appearance by the Gunners took place in the 2014 FA Cup final victory over Hull. instead ofPhoto credit: Jamie McPhilimey – The Sun
