Valencia midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia has refused to criticise Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti.

Kondogbia left Inter last month for Valencia.

“I decided to leave Inter a long time ago," he told Superdeporte. “I'd wanted to leave since the start of preseason. Because of that, I started talking to Valencia.

“It was a difficult final month at Inter because I wanted to experience something new and embark on a new challenge with Valencia.

“This wasn't what Inter wanted, but now I have to thank them because, ultimately, they listened to me.

“I must also thank Mr. Luciano Spalletti who, in addition to being a meticulous Coach, is a person who talks to his players and knows how to listen.

“I must thank him for pushing through my move to Valencia and the great respect between us.

“Did he try to keep me? It seems normal to me. Spalletti is Inter's Coach, he has important objectives to meet and wants a good squad to achieve them.

“He had his objective and I had mine. He told me about his objective of having 15 or 20 quality players and he wanted me to be a part of his group.

“It's understandable [that he may have tried to keep me] and I understand his reasons."