Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has, on Friday, provided his take on the ongoing spending spree being enjoyed by Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The subject of player incomings, of course, has taken its place front and centre in the headlines in west London once more across the summer to date.
This comes with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly having continued to flex his financial muscle, in funding deals for no fewer than eight fresh faces.
To this point in the summer, all of Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo Gabriel and Robert Sanchez have made their way to Stamford Bridge.
And the Blues do not appear to be done there, with another centre-forward still on the agenda for Mauricio Pochettino and co, and a move for New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic firmly in motion.
Chelsea submit formal proposal for New England Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic 🚨🔵 #CFC
Bid worth £15m, as reported tonight by @JacobSteinberg. Negotiations are now ongoing. pic.twitter.com/cRrW4WMN7d
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2023
With the ‘Boehly era’ spending in England’s capital now nearing the £1 billion mark, inevitable criticisms have begun to mount across the Premier League, and Europe as a whole.
Guardiola’s City, too, have seen their spending habits condemned in the past, with the Sky Blues often accused of ‘buying’ success.
In turn, it should perhaps come as little surprise to hear that the Spaniard was keen to avoid joining the Chelsea pile-on.
Instead, Guardiola assured that the Londoners are entitled to ‘do what they want’, albeit whilst noting that both he and Manchester City as a club would be ‘killed’ by the media, for acting in a similar manner.
“I couldn’t sit here if we spent what Chelsea spent in the last two transfer windows – you would kill me,” Guardiola began. “You will kill me, that is for sure. We’d be under scrutiny like you couldn’t imagine.
“When people say just Manchester City and Pep Guardiola buy players, I didn’t know I had a lot of money in my pocket to buy all the players I have.
“We have to see what happens in the market and if we can do it and to pay what we believe is fair.
“In the end we will pay what is fair to do it. Otherwise, we have the academy.”
“They can do what they want. I don’t criticise Chelsea for one second. I’m saying, if we do it, we are dead, all around the world. They can do whatever they want…
“If they want to spend, I don’t know, £900m since (Boehly) arrived, 900 more, 900 more. They have it. The business is the business. They sell a lot this season so they can do it.
“I don’t like when they criticise me, what we do, what I have to say. Everyone has their own business and everyone does what is best for the club.
“Everybody wins. Tell me the truth: are you enjoying a lot the transfer window? This player, the other one, every few minutes on Sky TV, a new player here, new player there. It’s so funny.”
