Christopher Samba has defended his move to Anzhi Makhachkala by rejecting claims he only joined the Russian club for the money.
The central defender joined Anzhi last week in a £12million deal after months of speculation over his future at Ewood Park.
Samba lodged a transfer request in January in a bid to force a move away from Blackburn, but any deal failed to materialise before the close of the transfer window at the end of January.
However, big-spending Anzhi, now managed by former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink, moved to offer unsettled Samba an escape route out of Blackburn before the close of the transfer window in Russia.
Rovers boss Steve Kean aimed a swipe at Samba following his exit, but the 27-year-old insists he joined Anzhi because of their ambitions to become a major force.
"They may be a little club, but they have ambition," Samba told The Sun.
"This is a team with a realistic chance to play at the highest level of European football. They have the ambition and the money.
"They bought me for £12m - plus Roberto Carlos, Yuri Zhirkov and Samuel Eto'o. There will be more big names coming, I know of two which will surprise people that we will sign in the summer. We'd like to do what Man City have done."
Samba insists he has no regrets over how he went about trying to win a move away from Blackburn just a year after signing a new long-term contract.
"I don't want to have any regrets," added Samba. "I'm 27 and must look to make the most of my years.
"Of course I hope Rovers will remain in the Premier League."
