Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has publicly insisted that he is eagerly anticipating a fight for first-team places come the start of the new campaign, despite admitting he is happy about the club's new signings - including Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.
The talented 20-year-old winger became the most expensive English football of all-time when he joined Manuel Pellegrini's men from the Reds in a £49million pound switch last week, and was soon followed by more arrivals. Fellow compatriots, Fabian Delph (Aston Villa) and Patrick Roberts (Fulham) have both joined the sky Blues too in quick succession.
Nasri's future still uncertain
Nasri's own future at the club is uncertain, as he struggled to assert himself as a first-team regular due to injuries and inconsistent form. However, the 28-year-old showed flashes of individual brilliance, which made the blue half of Manchester sign the talented player four years ago from Arsenal.
He netted a fantastic volley against Melbourne City last Saturday to seal a pre-season win, and told reporters he has 'never been scared of anyone' - in regards to a question as to whether he felt threatened by new signings at the club. He said that 'everyone has to raise their levels', because it is about 'the whole team, especially when you are like us and you had a bad year.'
Eager to impress and cement his place
Chelsea, who were comfortable at the top of the table for quite a while, will be hoping for more of the same dominant display in the upcoming campaign. That being said though, Nasri acknowledged the fact that 'something was wrong' in their title bid - stating that it is 'never good when a player has a guaranteed start - you have to fight for your place every time.'
He continued, discussing the side's trophy aspirations for the not-too-distant future. "If we want to have succes in the Premier League and the Champions League, we need to buy players. The only way we will improve is buying players like Raheem and [Fabian] Delph."