Guardiola mocks the spending crisis

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has used a sarcastic approach to respond to accusations linking the club's success to heavy spending. He pointed out that six other clubs have outspent his team over the past five years, highlighting the challenge they face on the pitch. In their latest move, Manchester City spent around £82.5 million in the January transfer window, bringing in players such as Ghanaian Anthony Simeone and Englishman Mark Jehe, thus completing the strengthening efforts that began last year. Despite this, Guardiola feels there is an unfair perception that the club will continue to spend without limits to achieve success, while other clubs that have spent more receive preferential treatment. According to Transfermarkt data, Manchester City's net spending over the last five years has reached £396 million, placing them third behind clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Liverpool. Guardiola expressed his frustration humorously, saying, "I'm a bit sad that we're seventh in terms of net spending, and I'd like us to be first. I don't understand why more money isn't being spent!" He added, "In the past, we won because we spent a lot, but now there are six teams competing for titles because they've spent more than us in recent years." In a press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, Guardiola mentioned monitoring the fitness of French winger Rayan Cherki, who recently returned from injury, as well as the return of Portuguese defender Rúben Dias to training after a period of absence. He stated that the team has a chance to reach the final for the fifth time in a decade and emphasized his familiarity with Newcastle and their pride, considering them a strong team that competes at the Champions League level.