Frenchman admits he did not want to lose Nasri or Fabregas, but was forced to let both leave for 'psychological' reasons, while claiming money runs the game these days
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Samir Nasri and other players that have moved to Manchester City, were tempted there by the vast riches on offer.The Frenchman looks to be heading to the Etihad Stadium after the two clubs agreed a £23 million deal for the midfielder, and he follows former team-mate Gael Clichy, who moved for £7m earlier this summer.
And while Wenger refused to question Nasri's commitment to Arsenal, he did hint that Roberto Mancini's side have been able to sweep up the best of the Premier League talent thanks to their bottomless bank account.
“I am a realist so I have no illusions. It's part of the modern life of a professional football player. It's not that by coincidence that everybody suddenly lands at Man City," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.
“Samir trained on Tuesday morning. But I knew before training. He didn’t know, the decision was made this morning just before training. He came in to practice.
“I don’t question Samir Nasri's commitment or professionalism. If I told him ‘you come with us and play’, he would have played like he did on Saturday but you wonder what kind of a commitment you can have.
“Football rules are made like that, that the player can be worth a lot of money today and nothing in six months so it doesn’t look completely logical but, at the end of the day, of course, we are forced into a decision like that for psychological and financial reasons."
Wenger believes the days of players spending their entire career with one club are over, especially when other teams are able to offer huge amounts of money.
“We did not want to lose Fabregas, but we were forced into a situation we didn’t want. Nasri is a situation where the player didn’t want to extend his contract with the proposals he had somewhere else," he added.
"What kind of commitment can you have when the player is not there long-term? That is the question you have to answer.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Samir Nasri and other players that have moved to Manchester City, were tempted there by the vast riches on offer.The Frenchman looks to be heading to the Etihad Stadium after the two clubs agreed a £23 million deal for the midfielder, and he follows former team-mate Gael Clichy, who moved for £7m earlier this summer.
And while Wenger refused to question Nasri's commitment to Arsenal, he did hint that Roberto Mancini's side have been able to sweep up the best of the Premier League talent thanks to their bottomless bank account.
“I am a realist so I have no illusions. It's part of the modern life of a professional football player. It's not that by coincidence that everybody suddenly lands at Man City," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.
“Samir trained on Tuesday morning. But I knew before training. He didn’t know, the decision was made this morning just before training. He came in to practice.
“I don’t question Samir Nasri's commitment or professionalism. If I told him ‘you come with us and play’, he would have played like he did on Saturday but you wonder what kind of a commitment you can have.
“Football rules are made like that, that the player can be worth a lot of money today and nothing in six months so it doesn’t look completely logical but, at the end of the day, of course, we are forced into a decision like that for psychological and financial reasons."
Wenger believes the days of players spending their entire career with one club are over, especially when other teams are able to offer huge amounts of money.
“We did not want to lose Fabregas, but we were forced into a situation we didn’t want. Nasri is a situation where the player didn’t want to extend his contract with the proposals he had somewhere else," he added.
"What kind of commitment can you have when the player is not there long-term? That is the question you have to answer.”