Pep Guardiola aims cheeky dig at Arsenal and Chelsea with 'grumpy' transfer comment

Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City's transfer spending, revealing that six Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle, have a higher net spend over the last five years

Pep Guardiola has joked that he was unhappy with the higher-ups at Manchester City for not spending more in the January transfer window. The Spaniard welcomed Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi to the Etihad Stadium last month, pushing the club's total expenditure over the past year to £430million.

City have, however, also recouped hundreds of millions through player sales, and over the last five years, six teams, including their Carabao Cup semi-final opponents Newcastle, have a greater net spend.

Guardiola has consistently criticised the perception that City's success is solely down to financial muscle, and he seized the opportunity to shift the spotlight onto Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Manchester United, and Liverpool.

"I'm a little bit sad and upset because in net spend, the last five years we are 7th in the Premier League," quipped Guardiola, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. "I want to be the first, I don't understand why the club don't spend more money.

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"I am a little bit grumpy with them. But like we won in the past because we spent a lot, now six teams have to win the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues and FA Cups because they spent more in the last five years.

"These are facts. It's not an opinion. You can say an opinion, like you say you play good or bad against Spurs - we can agree or disagree. But they are facts.

"Good luck to the six teams who are in front of us for net spend for the last five years. Let's go. I'm waiting. That's a nice quote, eh?"

Last month, Mikel Arteta was quizzed on City's spending. The Arsenal boss said: "I know what they're going to do, and what they've been doing over the last 10, 15 years, so obviously no surprise. They want to win, and they will do everything to win.

"We have our ambitions, but, as well, we have our own restrictions, and we need to know that we have to do what we can do, and what we believe is the right thing to do."

On his relationship with Guardiola, having previously worked as the City boss' assistant, Arteta said: "Yeah, I don't talk [as often with him] like with my wife, but we talk generally, and I think he talks about how he feels, and that's it.

"If there are mind games, there are mind games, but I don't pay too much attention, because at the end you have to go on the pitch and deliver."

Arsenal forked out nearly £300million on new players in the summer transfer window, yet they only managed to recuperate about £10million in sales. The Gunners had the steepest net spend (£257million) of any club in the English top-flight.

Liverpool recorded a net spend of £218million, although they raised just under £230million in player sales. Manchester United (£170million) and Tottenham Hotspur (£154million) trailed in third and fourth, while City ranked 10th with a net spend of £90million.

Guardiola's side, of course, went on to sign Semenyo and Guehi from Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, respectively, for a combined £85million. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who didn't spend a penny in January, walked away from the summer transfer window £18million better off.