Guardiola makes net-spending dig at rivals - "they have to change the argument"

Pep Guardiola made it clear that critics will have to "change the argument" around Manchester City's financial power as he pointed to their recent net spend.

The defending champions, who won their first Premier League title just over a decade ago, have flourished since the arrival of their Abu Dhabi owners. The hierarchy has long poured money into the playing squad, especially in the early days. Guardiola has been able to utilise their budget since arriving in 2016.

City have spent huge sums on the likes of Jack Grealish (£100million), Rodri (£63m), Erling Haaland (£51m) and Ruben Dias (£50m) during the Catalan's tenure. That has led to accusations of them buying their success, but Guardiola, whose side are by no means guaranteed the title this season, pointed to their spending habits in recents years as he appeared to hit back at the narrative around the club.

He said: "They were saying in October or November we should win the league. Now, they can't say it was just the team who spent the most money because the last five years our net spend is fifth in England, 12th or 13th in Europe, so they can't say that. They'll have to change their argument."

Guardiola has in fact overestimated his side's outlay compared to what they have recouped. Over the past five years, City are only 10th in the Premier League net-spend table. They've made a loss of £213m - more than £300m less than Manchester United, who have spent more, net, than anyone.

City, who in fact made a profit in the summer despite adding Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, have spent less than their neighbours, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham over the past five seasons. The likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham have also made a greater net loss.

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The Manchester outfit came back from 2-0 down on Thursday night to beat Tottenham 4-2 at the Etihad. It allowed them to close the gap to leaders Arsenal to five points, with the Gunners taking on Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday.

Guardiola has acknowledged the challenge they face, with their two nearest rivals hungry for the success City have become accustomed to experiencing. He said on Arsenal: "We've won the league in four of the last five years. Arsenal haven't won it for two decades and none of their players - except for (Gabriel) Jesus and (Oleksandr) Zinchenko - who've won the Premier League. As a result, they're killing every action of the game."

Regarding the Red Devils, who beat City 2-1 at the weekend, he added: "How many years have United not won the Premier League? I was in Germany or Spain [managing Bayern Munich or Barcelona ] the last time they did it. They have to do it, that is normal, but we have to do it again."