Nasri leaves Arsenal with a swipe at Wenger and fans

Barely 24 hours after leaving Arsenal for Manchester City, Samir Nasri has merrily stuck the boot into his former club. In his first interview as a City player after signing for a reported £25m the Frenchman managed to criticise Arsenal's supporters, stadium, manager and ambition.

Nasri said he was overjoyed to be joining a club with "more passionate" fans. "Arsenal have good fans but not that passionate since they moved from Highbury," he said, although eagle-eyed Arsenal fans might point out that he didn't join the club until two years after they left the old stadium.

"City fans are really passionate. When we played against City, the crowd was amazing. That's what I want," added Nasri.

The 24-year-old called the move a "big relief" after "long, long negotiations" and cited another reason for leaving Arsenal: his belief that Manchester City was the "club of the future".

While Nasri was quick to praise Arsene Wenger for his help over the years – saying he had been "like a second dad" – the midfielder spoke of how annoyed he had become over the summer. "I was a little bit frustrated because I said to the manager I wanted to leave," he said. "I stayed for the whole pre-season. I wanted to do the pre-season with Manchester to know my team-mates."

During the interview, Nasri also revealed how former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, now working for City, had been important in bringing the player to Manchester. "He made a big difference because he's a legend in France and everyone loves him and respects him," Nasri said. "When a player like that is telling you Manchester City is the place to be because they are the club of the future, that they want to win everything and have a big project, you have to listen." ·