Guardiola Jokes About Manchester City’s Investment in Signings
Pep Guardiola jokes about Manchester City’s spending and takes a swipe at the club during the transfer window
Pep Guardiola made headlines once again on Tuesday. The Manchester City manager publicly joked about the club’s transfer spending and claimed, with a smile, that he is “angry” with the hierarchy for not spending more money on players, in comments that quickly went viral.
During the winter transfer window, City spent $72 million on Antoine Semenyo and $23 million on Marc Guéhi, pushing the club’s total investment to nearly $500 million since the start of 2025. Part of that outlay was offset by the sale of Oscar Bobb to Fulham.
“We’re seventh in net spending over the last five years. I don’t understand why the club doesn’t spend more money. I’m a bit angry with them,” Guardiola said sarcastically. “Good luck to the six teams ahead of us in that ranking,” he added with a laugh.
According to figures dating back to the 2024–2025 season, Manchester City have invested €544 million in signings and generated €243 million in player sales, placing them 20th in the Premier League in net spending over the past year and a half. In terms of total outlay, only Chelsea have spent more during that period.
On the pitch, City have yet to win a trophy since the start of the 2024–2025 campaign, but they have a major opportunity to change that this Wednesday. Guardiola’s side will look to secure their place in the EFL Cup final after claiming a 2–0 away win over Newcastle United in the first leg of the semifinals.
“We have the chance to reach our fifth final in ten years in this competition,” Guardiola said. “The first-leg result is good, but we know Newcastle very well—their pride and their Champions League level. We have to be ready and see how the players recover after a very tough match against Tottenham.”
Manchester City will head into the second leg already knowing their potential opponent at Wembley, after Arsenal and Chelsea face off in the other semifinal on Tuesday, with the Gunners holding a 3–2 advantage from the first leg.
