Nasri throws support behind Pellegrini

Samir Nasri believes departing Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini would be an ideal fit for Manchester City.

The Chilean coach is the number one candidate to replace the sacked Roberto Mancini at Eastlands.

But while Nasri was unwilling to talk about transfer targets, he does believe Pellegrini, who guided Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals in 2005/06 and was seconds away from repeating the feat with Malaga this season, would be a shrewd appointment.

“The club is going to let us know as soon as they sign someone, but for the moment it’s just talk,” Nasri told Goal.com.

“If it is (Pellegrini), it’s a good fit. In the Champions League, he’s always had success with Villarreal or Malaga. The way his teams play, it’s always attractive and that’s what we need at Manchester City.”

Nasri was rumoured to have fallen out with former City boss Roberto Mancini after the Italian criticised his player in public, but he admitted that his departure was ‘sad’.

“It’s a bit difficult, but this season we had big expectations,” he said. “We didn’t achieve anything. We just qualified for the Champions League.

“It was Mancini who brought me to Manchester City, so it’s sad. But that’s football. Before I was at Manchester City, when I was at Marseille, I had five different managers… that’s football.”

And the 25-year-old stated his desire to stay at Eastlands, despite recent links to French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

“Yeah, of course (I would like to stay),” he said. “You know (the rumours), that’s just talk. In Paris now, you have new owners and they just won a title in France, so the media will talk about it. But I’m really happy in Manchester. I’m looking forward to next season.”

Thinking ahead to 2013/14, the former Arsenal man is hoping for a title challenge and more luck in the Champions League, following two successive exits at the group stage.

“Next year we won’t have any excuses,” Nasri said. “At some points, we had a lack of experience. We can have all of the talent in the world but you can’t buy experience.”

“To be honest, we were unlucky two times with the (Champions League) draw. In the group stage, to play (Borussia) Dortmund and Real Madrid is a bit difficult.

“But a team like Manchester City should expect to go on to the finals of the Champions League. I hope that next year, we are going to do it.”