Pep Guardiola has aimed a sarcastic remark towards his fierce rivals, Manchester United, as well as the five other sides who have recently outspent the Spaniard’s side.
During the summer transfer window, Manchester United spent north of £200million in their attempts to close the gap between themselves and the top sides in the Premier League.
In signing the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Šeško, the Reds have become the side with the highest net spend across the last five years.
Their bids to climb the table have been successful so far, with Michael Carrick’s side now sitting fourth in the table following their 3-2 victory over Fulham.
In his press conference ahead of Manchester City’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, Pep Guardiola has aimed a subtle dig towards his competitors, including United, due to their excessive spending.
Guardiola ‘waiting’ on league competitors
As reported by Metro, the Spanish tactician was asked as to whether his sporting director, Hugo Viana, should receive more praise for arming Guardiola with two ready made players in Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo.
The City boss sarcastically replied, saying, “Really good. I am a little bit sad and upset because net spend the last five years, we are seventh in the Premier League. I want to be the first. I don’t understand how the club don’t spend more money, so I am a little bit grumpy with them.
“But, with the position like we were in the past, because we spent a lot, now six teams have to win the Champions League and Premier Leagues and FA Cups because they have spent more in the last five years.
“This is a fact. You can say opinions like ‘you played good’ or ‘you played bad’ – we can agree or disagree, but those are facts. Good luck to the six teams that are in front of us in net spend over the last five years. Good luck, I am waiting.
Should United have achieved more?
Over the last five years, the Reds are first in terms of net spend amongst the Premier League sides, with a net spend of £675million, £12million ahead of Arsenal in second.
Whilst their expenditure of £940million ranks third, behind the likes of Chelsea and Guardiola’s City, United haven’t been as successful in their bids to sell their players, unlike their bitter rivals.
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Although the Reds now look to be on a far better path than they were under the management of Ruben Amorim, it can be debated as to whether they should have achieved more in these past five years.
Hopefully, there are brighter days ahead for United, who will be basking in the glory of their past few results, as they look to make their expenditure a worthy investment.
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