Pep Guardiola has responded to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s recent claims about Manchester City’s spending power in the transfer market.
Speaking to the media, as quoted by the Independent, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp after the German had seemed to question the Premier League champions’ spending in the transfer market.
Manchester City broke the club transfer record and the British transfer record as well when they signed Jack Grealish from Aston Villa this summer. On top of this, they are also pushing ahead to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur, a move that could shatter the transfer record yet again.
On the other hand, Chelsea have spent close to £100 million to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan while Manchester United spent a similar amount combined for the signings of Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. Klopp, whose Liverpool, have made just one signing in the form of Ibrahima Konate for £36 million, seemed to question the spending of his rival clubs in an interview earlier.
“I’m never surprised about the financial power of Chelsea, City or United. I am long enough in the country to know they always find a solution to do these kind of things,” the Liverpool boss had said.
? "If they don't agree, they can go to court."
Pep Guardiola has hit back at Jurgen Klopp after comments made about Man City's spending… ? pic.twitter.com/7oiCtPkliw
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Hitting back at the comments made by Klopp, Guardiola has claimed that his team do what every other title-winning team has done in the past and do so while staying within the regulations of the Financial Fair Play. “We spend because we can do it, we don’t spend when we cannot do it. At the end we have to present the balance and say this is what we are and what we have and what we can do,” he said.
“Before years ago United and Arsenal win a lot of titles because they spend more money than the other clubs, do you remember that? In the end Man City couldn’t do it because they didn’t have the owners they do now. Before it was one, two, after arrived other clubs, Chelsea with Roman Abramovich, with our club and Sheikh Mansour who want to be in this world.
“What is the problem? Always being regulated for Financial Fair Play. What happened happened, we are there. We are in the same page like everyone. After that if one club wants to spend more than the other, they do what they want to do. If we are wrong, prove it and we go,” he added.
Manchester City had landed in the soup with FFP regulations in the past and had been hit with a Champions League ban by UEFA, only for the ruling to be turned around by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“We’re here because we sell for £60m and that’s why we could buy Jack Grealish. Otherwise can’t do it because of Financial Fair Play. We try to do it in this way because the club believes it’s the best way to be there. That’s why we are. We have limits for the Financial Fair Play. If they don’t agree they can go to court and make a statement and we defend. Financial Fair Play is the rule for us and we follow absolutely the rules,” Guardiola added.
