Pep Guardiola is one of the most outspoken managers in world football, and he doesn’t hold back in his assessment of other clubs, although this has recently brought him some backlash. Successful managers often have big egos, and Guardiola is no exception. The Spaniard has done it all in the Premier League, making his City team the most successful in England since he arrived in 2016.
The former Barcelona manager never holds back when he has the chance to take jibes at other teams, whether it’s the recently unsuccessful Manchester United or an electric Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team that has proven to be his biggest rival recently.
Guardiola criticizes Chelsea’s spending with subtle jibe
Most football fans know Pep Guardiola as one of the sport’s greatest and most successful managers. However, few also know him as a hypocrite who takes every chance to swipe at other clubs for doing the same thing he does. The legendary coach has expressed his opinions about Chelsea’s recent big spending spree in the transfer market, with the club spending almost $1 billion since Todd Boehly took over last summer.
“For Chelsea, it is easier than us, that’s for sure. I couldn’t sit here if we spent What Chelsea spent in the last two transfer windows, you would kill me,” Guardiola said. Quizzed on what he meant by that, Guardiola further said, “We wanted Maguire in 2019 and didn’t buy him because we didn’t want to pay. We wanted Cucurella last summer and didn’t pay, we wanted Sanchez in 2018 and didn’t pay.”
Guardiola referred to the fact that he didn’t let other clubs hold his team to ransom when selling players to them, so he referenced the players City missed out on due to very high valuation. However, facts remain that Guardiola has spent as much as any other Premier League manager, maybe more.
According to Metro, Pep Guardiola has spent over $1 billion since taking the reigns at Manchester City, making him the manager with the most expensive transfer budget in the league. Jack Grealish is City’s most expensive player, costing more than $100 million after Guardiola sanctioned a deal to bring the former Aston Villa man to the Etihad.
City have also spent much money this summer, signing Gvardiol in the most expensive deal for a defender. The club may also be forced to sign another midfielder after Kevin De Bruyne suffered another hamstring injury that could keep him on the sidelines for a long time.
Is Pep Guardiola the richest manager in the Premier League?
With Pep having brought so much success to Manchester City, it is only normal that he’s paid a salary that matches his achievements at the Etihad. According to AS, Guardiola earns a reported £20 million as a gross salary, with the Spaniard earning more in bonuses and incentives. This makes him the richest manager in the Premier League, with Klopp earning very close in salary to the Spaniard.
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Apart from being the richest manager in the league, Pep Guardiola has also spent the most money of all the managers in the league, taking his tally to over $1 billion for transfers with the signing of Jasko Gvardiol this summer.
Will Pep sign more players for City before the transfer window closes? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
