Pep Guardiola has dismissed the idea that Arsenal’s strong start is only down to their summer spending.
Arsenal invested heavily in the transfer window. New signings Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres have made an instant impact. Some critics say money is the main reason for their success.
Guardiola faced similar claims during his time at Manchester City. His team has often been accused of winning trophies only because of their financial power.
Speaking ahead of City’s visit to the Emirates, Guardiola responded with sarcasm. “The only thing I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta is if he wins the title it will be just because he spent money. Not because he worked hard or because of his players,” he said.
He said, “It’s like Liverpool too. If Arne Slot wins again, it will be because he spent a lot of money, right? Because it’s not just City that spend.”
Guardiola praised the progress Arsenal have made under Arteta. He said the Spaniard has improved the squad “step by step, window by window” since 2019. He described Arsenal as “the most solid team” and noted their strong defensive record.
City travel to Arsenal on Sunday aiming to climb to second in the Premier League. Their last visit ended in a crushing 5-1 defeat, with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly among the scorers.
Looking back on that loss, Guardiola admitted his side defended poorly. “We started like an under-14s team and gave away a thousand million goals,” he said.
He added, “For much of the game we were good, but the last 15 to 20 minutes were a disaster. We forgot what we had to do and it was easy for Arsenal. Now I want to compete to be better than last season.”
