Klopp is in the wrong over City’s spending, maintains Guardiola
PEP Guardiola has hit back at comments from Jurgen Klopp over Manchester City’s spending power.
Liverpool boss Klopp recently said his side were unable to compete with the likes of Guardiola’s City in the transfer market.
Champions League winners Liverpool have made just two low-key signings this summer after being the biggest spenders of 2018.
The German said: “People talk about it like, ‘Now another £300m or £200m’.
“There are maybe only two clubs in the world — it looks in the moment like Barcelona and (Real) Madrid can do the same — (Manchester) City and Paris St Germain that can do it every year.”
Guardiola claims City are not spending at that level every year and only did so once, in the summer of 2017, through necessity.
The City manager said: “Of course it bothers me because it’s not true that we spend £200m in every transfer market.
“So it’s Liverpool — you’ll never walk alone — so it’s not a small team. It’s Liverpool.
“Last season we spent £17m (net) on one player. Two seasons ago, if we spent a lot, it’s because I took over the team and we had 10 or 11 players over 30-years-old. So we had to do it. But we cannot spend £200m every season.”
City pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title by a point last season after a memorable title race. The two clubs renew their growing rivalry when they meet in the Community Shield at Wembley tomorrow.
Guardiola is an admirer of the work Klopp has done at Anfield.
He said: “He inspires me in many things. He is a class manager, a top manager. He’s so good and it is an incredible challenge for me every time I face his teams.”
Guardiola was unable to offer any further clarification on the future of winger Leroy Sane. The German has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich all summer but, as yet, there has been no firm offer from the Bundesliga outfit.
Guardiola has repeatedly expressed his desire to keep the 23-year-old but the player, who has two years remaining on his contract, is yet to commit to a new deal. Guardiola said: “I’ve said many times I want players who want to stay because it’s impossible as a manager to convince a player to do what we want when his head is away from here.
“But the player didn’t tell me anything that he wants to leave, so that is the only reality I have.” • BURNLEY have snapped up Northern Ireland goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Leeds for an undisclosed fee following the sale of Tom Heaton to Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old has signed a four-year deal, with the option for a further season, after leaving Elland Road, where he lost his starting spot to Kiko Casilla in January last season.
“I’m really happy to be here,” he said. “A Premier League club is what you dream of when you are starting out in football and to say I’ve signed for Burnley is a massive honour.
“There’s massive competition here, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
“The goalkeepers here are really good and two of them are England internationals.
“There’s something going on here that must be right. So to come here and be part of it, is something I’m really excited about.”