Manuel Akanji left Borussia Dortmund and completed a move to Manchester City on the last day of the summer window.
The Switzerland international had less than a year left on his contract at the Bundesliga side when he left and had already made by his decision to not sign a new deal them.
Manchester City came from behind to seal a 2-1 win over BVB in the Champions League tie and Pep Guardiola started the defender against his former club at the Etihad on Wednesday.
Prior to the European tie, Blick interviewed the 27-year-old, where he revealed that he informed Dortmund well in advance not to renew his contract. Reports in Germany said he demanded more money to sign an extension at BVB, but Akanji has dismissed these claims.
“I don’t even know how it happened. I never discussed numbers with Dortmund. I never cared about money. I thought it was crazy that I was accused of this out of nowhere,” he told Blick.
“It was also strange that it was written that I had turned down a second contract offer. There wasn’t even an initial written offer, no negotiations, nothing, because BVB knew from the start that it wasn’t a question of money, that I wanted a change. So, things were said about me that just weren’t true.”
“It wasn’t an easy time for me. I was part of the team and had an ongoing contract, was focused and kept pushing in training. But the principle of performance no longer counted, I sat in the stands, no matter how well I trained.”
The centre-back’s comments did not please the Bundesliga sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, as he is of the belief it was best for Akanji not to share his views.
“We would have liked to extend with Manuel, because he is just a good player and now does not appear for nothing at Manchester City. Nevertheless, I would have spared myself the statements that came afterwards,” Kehl told DAZN, relayed by Sky Deutschland.
