Idrissa Gueye admitted that he sees his move to Aston Villa as a vehicle to orchestrate a future transfer to a bigger team.
While he may not have intended to offend Villa or its supporters, those associated with the squad could have a heightened sensitivity to such comments following Fabian Delph's departure to Manchester City and Christian Benteke's reported transfer to Liverpool.
Shortly after signing a four-year contract and completing his €10-million move to the Midlands side from Lille, Gueye gave Villa fans cause for concern when he revealed the intentions behind his move.
"I wanted a change of scenery," he told French publication L'Equipe, courtesy of ESPNFC. "The most important thing was to come to England to improve and aim for a big club later.
"It's a league which suits me down to the ground. The box-to-box style is very much mine. I think I'll enjoy it."
Gueye, however, spoke glowingly about his meeting with Tim Sherwood and the role the Villa manager played in luring him to Birmingham.
"The coach and I got on well straightaway. I saw the vision of how he wants us to play and where he counted on using me. He had watched a lot of my games.
"That gave me confidence. He told me some very nice things, and that pushed me to take this decision. I preferred to sign quickly so that I could do the preseason with my new club."
The Senegalese midfielder finished his final season in Ligue 1 with four goals and two assists during 32 appearances.
