Manchester City’s £14 million summer signing Nolito has revealed that there were two major reasons behind his move to the Etihad Stadium despite interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.
One of the major incentives for Nolito in his decision to move to Manchester City was his desire to work under a Barcelona legend in Pep Guardiola, while the other was the promise of first team football.
The 29-year-old Spaniard had previously worked with Guardiola during his time at Barcelona, and now looks forward to working with the Catalan once again.
“The truth is I enjoyed working with him in Barcelona even though it wasn’t much time. It’s a reason for me to come here but not the only one,” said Nolito, according to the Guardian.
The striker also stated that he expects to play first team football for Man City. “It’s something I spoke about with my family and my management,” he said.
“I thought it was the best decision for me and my career. I have come to the Premier League to play with City and under Pep Guardiola, who will play me in the first team, and I am very happy with the decision I took.”
Nolito had a great season with Celta Vigo in 2015-16, scoring 12 goals and registering 7 assists in 29 La Liga appearances. The 29-year-old striker went on to play a significant role for Spain in their Euro 2016 campaign, though they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Italy.
His performances for club and country caught the eye of incoming Man City manager Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona manager coached Nolito during his brief time with the Barcelona first team, handing him his debut in late 2010 after he spent more than two seasons with the Barca B team. However, the Spaniard rebuffed the La Liga giant’s attempts to sign him to a professional contract in order to join Benfica in 2011.
Nolito’s return to La Liga with Celta Vigo in 2013 and subsequent showings attracted interest from Barca yet again. The Blaugrana went all out to sign him in January 2016, and after failing to do so, were the biggest contenders to snap him up in the summer. However, the influence of Pep Guardiola in the transfer market was on full display as Man City snapped up the striker for £14 million in July.
The Spaniard has seemingly been promised first team football, and this could be bad news for England youngster Raheem Sterling, who currently occupies the left wing which Nolito made his own for Celta and Spain.
