A Career Unfulfilled – What Went Wrong For Samir Nasri In His Career
The talent possessed by Samir Nasri has never been questioned. But it’s his work-rate that has been questioned. The Frenchman recently joined Antalyaspor for a fee that could rise to £3.2million. He is renowned for his dribbling, ball control and passing ability. Having arrived at Arsenal from Marseille, he enthralled the Premier League audience with his silky skills and made a further name for himself at Manchester City, where he started off strongly.
However, that start later faded off as he lost his willingness to put his best foot forward in games. At Arsenal, he was one of the key cogs of the team as he put forward his skills and managed to win games for them, sometimes single-handedly. A brace in a 2-1 win over Fulham comes to my mind where 2 solo goals saw him make the headlines.
As was the case with Arsenal a few years ago, they let his contract run down to the final year and their hands were forced into selling him to rivals Manchester City. At City, he won 2 Premier League titles, a Community Shield and a Football league Cup. Eventually, he was unable to hold down a regular spot in the team and was loaned out to Sevilla, where he impressed sufficiently.
A lot was expected when Nasri first arrived in England. Although he impressed to an extent, he never fulfilled his potential to the fullest as he failed to nail down a regular spot in a Manchester City side that was ever-changing, both in terms of the managerial appointments and new players at the club.
A loan term at Sevilla definitely helped his cause, as he got sufficient game time. He scored 3 goals in all competitions and combined well with the likes of Stefan Jovetic, Wissam Ben Yedder and a few others.
In Turkey, he should look to put his best foot forward and get sufficient game time again, as it could be the last few years of his career. Flair players such as him usually tend to peak at around 30 years of age and bring an end to their careers around the age of 33-34. He still has a lot of gas left in him and should look to do well. Undoubtedly, he will perform, as the standard of the league is quite inferior to that of the Spanish league and the Premier League.
All that said and done, his Premier League career faded away and didn’t last long enough for him to be considered as one of the Premier League greats. When he first arrived, he was touted to get into that category but injuries and unwillingness to put his feet on the pedal have lead to him being pushed away to Turkey, where he will become one of the main players in the league.
Au Revoir, Samir Nasri! It’s been a pleasure to watch you strut it out in the Premier League. May the Turkish waters suit you better.