Manchester City‘s summer signing, Nolito, has confirmed that he rejected interest from Barcelona in order to join Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, as he knows he’ll play more under the Spaniard.
The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Catalan giants this summer after an impressive 2015/16 campaign with Celta Vigo, though he’s decided to swap Spain for England in a bid to help City’s bid for Premier League glory next season.
It’s somewhat of a risk and a huge challenge to come over to the UK at this stage of his career and try and be successful instead of remaining in La Liga and continuing to shine a league he’s already flourished in.
However, Nolito has confirmed that he joined City to work with Guardiola as he feels he will get more minutes under his compatriot than he would have had he chosen to move to the Camp Nou.
“Yes,” he replied when asked if it was a straight choice between the two clubs (via Goal). “It’s something I spoke about with my family and my management.
“I thought it was the best decision for me and my career. I had a consultation with my family and my agent and it took me just two days to make the decision.
“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 finished his final season with Celta having scored 12 goals in 29 appearances, and they threatened early on in the season to pull off a remarkable top four finish.
The eventually finished sixth in the Spanish top flight which was a superb league position for the club and for Nolito, who proved he could lead the team into a strong position.
His good form was enough to be included in former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque’s strongest attacking trio at Euro 2016, where Nolito scored once and created eight chances in four appearances in France.
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