Manchester City manager believes transfer spending has raised gunners to elite level
Pep Guardiola has said Arsenal have risen to a level where they can compete with the best in England and Europe, as both sides prepare for an encounter that could define this season’s title race.
City’s manager believes the north London club have spent wisely under Mikel Arteta across five years to recruit “the most solid” team in England.
“He found the club in a way and step-by-step, window-by-window, Arsenal are getting better,” said Guardiola.
“Last season in Europe, they made an incredible step forward and they are for me the most solid team.
“They spent what they believe they can to compete against the best teams in the Premier League and Europe and they’ve reached that level.”
Arsenal have shelled out a figure in excess of £900m under Mikel Arteta in a bid to become competitive both domestically and in Europe. That dizzying figure is in the region of the £1bn Guardiola has spent as City boss, though the sums must be considered with regard to inflation.
During the summer, the north London club invested more than £250m in new players, adding Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and several others to a squad that have finished as runners-up in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons and reached the Champions League semi-finals last term.
However, Guardiola took a dig at the media for criticism of transfer spending that he believes is often focused only on his side.
“The only thing I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta is if he wins the title it will be just because he spent money, not because he worked hard or because of his players,” quipped Guardiola.
“It’s like Liverpool too. If Arne [Slot] wins it again, it will be because he spent a lot of money, right? Because it’s not just Man City that [do so], right?
“For many, many years every club can do whatever they want, you know? I know how they’ve been treated is completely different [to City], but what they want to spend is because they want it and it’s fine.”
