Pep: This team can’t be called great – yet!
PEP Guardiola does not think his City side can be considered the best team in Premier League history, despite a recordbreaking campaign.
The Blues became the first side to record 100-points in a single top-flight season as they won the title by 19 points from second-place United.
City broke a whole host of records on their way to their fifth title, however, many pundits believe the club need to replicate the feat to truly be considered a great side.
And Guardiola admits his side needs consistent success if they are to rightfully secure their place in English football history.
“I would say we made the best year in the Premier League ever,” Guardiola said. “The numbers say that. “We are the best? I’m not sure. “I’m completely with the people who say that to be considered the best team in the history of English football you have to win more.
“We won one Premier League [title].”
Replicating the feats of last season looks virtually impossible, but Guardiola believes any chance of doing so would rely on harvesting the same team spirit which saw them break the 100 points barrier last season.
He added: “One of our strong points is our locker room.
“The quality of the human beings they are, how they connect with the rest of the staff, that is I would say the main secret, that counts a lot to me.” IT’S three weeks since Jorginho’s agent announced his client would be a City player if an agreement could be reached with Napoli.
It didn’t look like a very big ‘if’ at the time, and the countdown began to the Italian international being announced as a Blue.
As things stand, though, the clubs still have a long way to move before they can reach an agreement, and City have made it known they will happily go down other avenues if the Jorginho deal stalls.
Why are negotiations dragging and what does it mean for Guardiola’s summer transfer window as he plans his defence of the Premier League next season? Here, M.E.N. Sport takes a look at City’s pursuit of Jorginho.
WHERE ARE NEGOTIATIONS AT OVER JORGINHO? THE two clubs have been in discussions for some time now but they remain far apart in how much they value Jorginho. City had an opening offer of £40m knocked straight back by Napoli, who are pushing strongly for a fee more in the region of £60m.
The Serie A club have not shown enough for the Blues to return for a second bid. City have instead made it known they are looking at alternative targets.
Compromise on both sides is needed if they are to meet somewhere in the middle on price, but as of yet there has been no sign of that.
WHY DO CITY WANT TO SIGN HIM? THE holding midfielder has been a midfield fulcrum in Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli, a team that wowed Guardiola last season. A passmaster who is rarely off the ball, the Brazilian-born Italian connects defence and attack in the same way Fernandinho does for City.
Having not invested in central midfield for a number of years, it seems an opportune moment to give the City engine room some attention and Jorginho looks a perfect fit. The 26-year-old is coming off the back of an excellent season in Serie A and was rewarded with inclusion in Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad for the recent international friendlies.
WHICH CLUB HAS THE ADVANTAGE? NAPOLI know City are not short of money and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, a film producer in his day job, has clashed with the Blues in 2011 and 2017 when they were in the same Champions League group.
It is no secret how ideal a fit Jorginho looks for the Etihad and a speedy sale can come at a premium.
Should Sarri, replaced by Carlo Ancelotti but still under contract at Napoli, get a new job he could raise the price by bidding against the Blues.
Equally, though, Jorginho does not appear as suited to Ancelotti’s style.
Having missed one of their best chances in years to pip Juventus to Serie A, they do not want to be seen to be selling off their squad.
However, having funds from Jorginho’s sale to spend on reinforcements would seem more sensible for Napoli than rejecting a significant sum of money and not using the player as effectively as they could - although it could delay things further if they want to line up a replacement first.
While City are looking to conduct their business as soon as possible, the players that are not at the World Cup will not be reporting for pre-season training for some time yet.