Pep Guardiola joked that he is “a little bit sad and upset” that Manchester City only rank seventh for net transfer spending in the Premier League over the last five years.
Although City were the biggest spenders in January again, signing Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi for about £84m, the club has also made huge money from player sales. Over the past five years, City have earned around £550m from selling players, according to Transfermarkt.
Guardiola praised the club’s transfer chiefs, past and present, but joked that he wishes City spent more money. He added that if spending more guaranteed trophies, then the teams above City in net spend should now be winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
City failed to win a major trophy last season but have still claimed six of the last nine Premier League titles. They have only once spent more than £100m on a single player, signing Jack Grealish in 2022.
The club has also made smart sales, earning over £250m from academy players since 2020. Big departures include Julian Alvarez, who joined Atletico Madrid for £81.5m, and Raheem Sterling, who moved to Chelsea for £50m.
