Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has playfully criticised his club for being only the seventh-highest net spenders in the Premier League over the past five years.
The comments came as City confirmed another busy January transfer window, having signed Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi for a combined fee of around £84 million, following a £180m January spend last year.
However, figures from Transfermarkt show that City have generated approximately £550m from player sales during the same five-year period, leaving their net spend lower than six other Premier League clubs.
According to BBC Sport on Tuesday, when asked about the work of director of football Hugo Viana, Guardiola said: “Really good. Txiki [Begiristain] before and Hugo now.”
He then added: “I am a little bit sad and upset because in the last five years we have been seventh in the Premier League. I want to be the first. I don’t understand why the club doesn’t spend more money. I am a little bit grumpy with them.”
Guardiola argued that higher spending should translate into more trophies, telling reporters: “But as we won in the past because we spent a lot, now six teams have to win the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, and FA Cups because they spend more in the last five years. These are facts. It’s not an opinion.”
He continued: “You can say an opinion, like you say you play well or badly against Spurs — we can agree or disagree. But they are facts. Good luck to the six teams that are in front of us for net spend for the last five years. Let’s go. I’m waiting.”
City failed to win a major trophy last season, ending a rare trophy drought for the club, despite having secured six of the past nine Premier League titles under Guardiola.
City’s transfer strategy has relied more on sales than big-money purchases. The club have only once spent more than £100m on a player, signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m in 2022.
Instead, City have been successful at generating income through player sales, particularly from their academy. Since 2020, the club have earned more than £250m from academy products alone.
Notable sales include Julian Alvarez’s £81.5m move to Atletico Madrid in 2024 and Raheem Sterling’s £50m transfer to Chelsea in 2023.
Guardiola’s comments highlight the club’s continued dominance in English football despite a comparatively lower net spend, but also reveal his desire for City to reclaim the top spot in transfer spending.
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