Micah Richards is delighted with his move to Fiorentina.
Manchester City defender has joined the Viola on a season-long.
"I have been a player 12 years at City. In the past year, 18 months, I have not played as much," Richards said.
"I had other offers, but the project at Fiorentina was very impressive. I believe that I can help us to achieve our goals, together with my teammates.
"As you know, I had a serious knee injury. When I returned, Zabaleta had taken over my starting spot. I would have liked to have continued the adventure with City, I was also offered a renewal, but my objective was to try a new adventure in another European League.
"It was frustrating to stay on the sidelines. Zabaleta has played very well in recent years.
"With Roberto Mancini there was a lot of rotation with the full-backs, whilst with the new Coach there was less space and for this reason I decided to leave."
For the big stories and the banter follow us on Twitter: @tribalfootball