Ex-Man City star Samir Nasri's four-word comment about Arsene Wenger speaks volumes

Samir Nasri’s comments about his former manager Arsene Wenger speak volumes about the former Manchester City star.

In spite of his toxic relationship with former club Arsenal, the retired Frenchman once put that to one side to say it's "impossible to criticise him" while Wenger was facing increasing pressure in north London.

As City and Arsenal prepare for their upcoming Premier League showdown on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium, all eyes will be on a heated encounter that could significantly impact the title race. Pep Guardiola’s men will look to close the gap on Arsenal to just three points, while the Gunners desperately need a win to keep up with league leaders Liverpool. And it’s clear which of his two sides Nasri will be lending his support to, given his history with both clubs.

Prior to winning two league titles with the Etihad side, the midfielder was a firm favourite at Arsenal. He was signed from Marseille in 2008 and, during his three years under compatriot Wenger, developed into a standout player.

Yet after a career-best 2010/2011 season, where he was expected to become the team's new talisman following Cesc Fabregas' departure, Nasri made the unexpected call to swap red and white for City blue in the summer of 2011. It made the winger the fourth Gunner star to quit the club in favour of City in a short space of time, following the precedent set by Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy.

Nasri faced boos from the fans who once adored him during his last match against Liverpool. And his relationship with Arsenal's supporters reached a breaking point when he appeared to imply that his move was motivated by money.

"I don't have any regrets," Nasri admitted after his switch to Manchester City. “Yes, economically I have a better life now than what I had at Arsenal. It's normal. If I said to you tomorrow that there is another journal, as serious as your journal, that offers you three times your salary, I think you are going to go there! But my first motive was to win trophies."

He sparked the wrath of the Gunners faithful further in 2014 by moving to clarify his comments, telling The Telegraph that he left to win trophies and pointing to Arsenal's lack of silverware in his three years at the club. He also told beIN Sport: "I don't regret leaving Arsenal. I won the league while Arsenal have difficulty finishing fourth."

Those comments unsurprisingly sparked a hostile reception in each of the seven games he represented City against his former side. There was no love lost on the pitch either as he even clashed on the field with former team-mate Emmanuel Frimpong on one occasion.

And yet Nasri displayed a classy gesture towards Wenger during a tumultuous period for the manager, where there were growing calls from Arsenal fans to end his two-decade long tenure. An increasingly vocal section of supporters were calling for the Frenchman’s sacking, while the media questioned whether he had long lost his mojo after a poor run of results between January and April 2017.

No one would have expected Nasri, who was on a season-long loan to Sevilla from City at the time, to defend Wenger, as he said: "You cannot criticise a guy like that, it is impossible. Arsenal was a big club but he made it even bigger. People need to be fair. It is not because Arsenal don't have success in the league that it's his fault, that is the players who are on the pitch, it's the players who do not get the results.”

Nasri explained that while his relationship with the Gunners faithful might have been fractured, his respect for Wenger remained intact. "It's hard for me to say something about him because I owe him a lot of things,” Nasri admitted.

“I came to the Premier League because of him and I have had a good career because of him too. He gave me confidence and he made me a better player and I just think all the players who played with him, when they left they became better players.”

He later said: "Wenger is the best coach I've worked with. I only regret not having more discussions with Arsene when I left. He's the one who understood me the most and made me the player I am. I'm thankful."

Wenger finally gave way to the pressure and left Arsenal in 2018, severing Nasri's connections with the north London club entirely. Six years later, the former France international confessed he would still support City over his former team, for which he made 125 appearances, in their next encounter.

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