Guardiola demands shorter squad at Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has issued a warning to the club's owners: "I want a smaller squad or I will leave." The Spanish manager was speaking to the media after his side's win over Bournemouth that left them one point away from qualifying for the Champions League.

“I told the club I don't want a big squad. I don’t want to put five, six players in the stands, I don't want that. I will quit," Guardiola said. “If they don't make a short squad, I will not stay. It's impossible for my soul to put players in the stands and cannot play”.

Last winter transfer window City signed Nico, Khusanov and Vitor Reis spending a total of more than €100m because of the team's injury plague, especially Rodrigo Hernandez, who has been out for eight months with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament."

"For three or four months we were without several players, we had no defenders, and it was very difficult. Then people come back from injuries, but next season it can't be like that. As a coach, I can't train 24 players and every week four, five or six stay in Manchester because they can't play. This cannot happen and I have told the club that," he added.

In the upcoming transfer window, City are expected to make several additions to revitalise a squad that, after winning everything, including four consecutive Premier League titles, is only in contention to win the Club World Cup this season, having lost the English Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup and FA Cup.