Following his surprise free transfer last summer to the defending champions, former Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna has not found himself playing week-in, week-out as he became naturally accustomed to when 100% fit for The Gunners. He has been usually spotted sitting on the bench, with the odd cameo appearance here and there. Why is that, and will he get his chance?
It was announced, at the end of the 2013-14 season after a great set of consistent displays all-round, that Sagna would be leaving Arsenal after seven years with Wenger's men. One of his main reasons, was quoted as wanting to win trophies, and he ironically had won the FA Cup to end a nine-year trophy drought for the men in red. Arsène Wenger has previously described him as the best right-back in the Premier League - yet he has mainly been warming the bench in Manchester.
Ever since he arrived, and even before he did, Zabaleta has been the first choice right-back at the club. The Argentine has been a consistent performer over the past few seasons and has been very important to the Citizens' well oiled attacking machine.
One of the reasons why the experienced Frenchman isn't getting much playing time is because the chance does not open up for him very often, as Zabaleta has not been struggling with injuries or much else as of late. And there's no reason for manager Manuel Pellegrini to risk a change that could affect the team's performances; especially with the amount of important fixtures they have coming thick and fast; the wrong decision could affect the whole team's ballance.
You also have to take into account, the possibility that "the Engineer" signed the Arsenal full-back to be a squad rotation player, featuring in the lesser important Premier League matches as well as regular cup appearances - so that Zabaleta would be treated to a rest every now and then.
But is Sagna happy with that? Very doubtful to even think so. His wages were a recurring problem at Arsenal in his final few months, with many former supporters suggesting that was the sole reason why he left the club, because they were unprepared to give him £100,000-a-week for a player of his age (31) and given his luck with injuries, the risk was too much to bare. The club had a ready-made replacement for him, in the form of Newcastle full-back Mathieu Debuchy, who is two years younger and although has also suffered his fair share of injuries, is an established player in arguably the most competitive league in the world. City on the other hand, would not buy Bacary if it did not mean that he would feature at some stage, whether that be from the substitutes' bench or as a starter from time to time.
There have been a few rumours suggesting that some European clubs could be in for a potential move to sign Sagna, although he has only been at the club for six months. This is highly unlikely, as they do not have sufficient right-back cover if Zabaleta does get injured, and the Frenchman has not voiced his discontent at his lack of football (yet!).
One thing is for sure, this will not be the last time we'll be hearing about the Frenchman!
