Sevilla president Jose Castro has said he thought sporting director Monchi had gone "mad" when he told him of his plans to sign Samir Nasri on loan from Manchester City this summer.
Castro was not concerned by Nasri's lack of playing time in England but rather the player's high wages, which are reported to be in excess of £100,000 a week.
Sevilla did eventually reach an agreement to sign the 29-year-old former France midfielder on a season-long loan, but Castro told Cadena Cope: "When Monchi told me that he was considering signing Nasri, I immediately thought he was mad. We simply couldn't afford him."
Former Arsenal star Nasri missed City's preseason for the 2016-17 campaign after returning to training overweight and new coach Pep Guardiola did not play him in the club's first four games.
"That did not worry me," Castro said. "All the good players succeed at Sevilla. [Ever] Banega also had a history yet he succeeded at Sevilla."
Banega had failed to live up to expectations during his four-year stint at Valencia before moving to Sevilla in 2014.
The Argentina playmaker, who joined Inter Milan this summer, won consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla in his two seasons at the club.
Nasri, one of 12 players to join Sevilla this summer, has made an immediate impact, starting in eight games in all competitions and scoring three goals while setting up another.
He scored the only goal in last week's 1-0 triumph at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, which kept Sevilla unbeaten and level on seven points with Juventus at the top of Group H.
"Nasri had limited playing time at Manchester City but has arrived here and he is having a starring role," Castro said. "Monchi has played a pivotal role but so has the club.
"We must be doing something right because there are players that have failed to succeed in other clubs but arrive at Sevilla and triumph.
"Our fans, our stadium and our city -- we are all doing the right things. We just give them love and trust. They have joined a club that has won many titles and is respected in Europe."
Sevilla won the Europa League for a record third consecutive time last season under former coach Unai Emery, and have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign with new coach Jorge Sampaoli.
They have lost just once, a 3-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Sept. 24, and have won all six of their home games.
"The players know that they are coming here to win, to succeed and to give their all for this club," Castro said. "We wants to win everything."
Sevilla ended Atletico Madrid's 11-game unbeaten run in Sunday's 1-0 home win, which was their fifth straight triumph in all competitions.
They are second in La Liga, one point adrift of league leaders Real Madrid after nine games.