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Nasri exit deals Gunners another blow

Comment: 0 August 24th, 2011 by: admin

THE sign was up even before the deal was finalised. Samir Nasri was omitted from Arsenal’s lineup travelling to Italy for their Champions League qualifier assignment this week.

It became clearer when he was allowed to travel to Manchester for a medical.

On Tuesday, Arsenal finally sold the French midfielder to their Premier League rivals Manchester City for 25 million pounds (US$41 million), ending another transfer saga that came on the heels of Cesc Fabregas’ 40-million euro (US$57 milion) move to Barcelona.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger looked forlorn as he and the rest of the squad left the airport for their coming second leg playoff tussle against Udinese sans two of their most dependable players.

“This summer was very difficult because we had Fabregas and Nasri on permanent transfer negotiations and that is draining in the end,’’ said Wenger.

The French manager had previously scratched Nasri from his lineup against Udinese in anticipation of his relocation. He said he wants players who are committed to the long term and are focused in the future.

The Gunners are nursing a flimsy 1-0 lead over the Italian side and are travelling with heavy hearts due to their slothful start in the Premier League, failing to score a goal and notching only a point from two matches.

Nasri, who spent three years with Arsenal after joining from Marseille, made his last appearance with the Gunners in their 0-2 home defeat to Liverpool the past weekend.

The current crisis at Arsenal as usual put Wenger under pressure anew but he said he would be doing his best to “take a distance from that.’’

Wenger emphasized he has complete belief in the team and they have a great opportunity to show they can fight for the club who have failed to capture a major trophy since 2005.

Despite the sudden shortage in midfield as a result of the exit of Fabregas and Nasri, the Gunners are still looking forward to hurdle their fixture against Udinese. “This is an opportunity for us to qualify for the group stage and we have enough o achieve that,’’ said Wenger.

Nasri became the latest acquisition of big-spending City who have already splurged around 50 million pounds in this month’s transfer window in snaring Argentina striker Sergio Aguero, French left-back Gael Clichy (also bought from Arsenal), and Montenegro defender Stefan Savic.

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