Guardiola says Man City would have been criticised for spending 105m on Declan Rice

Pep Guardiola does not bite his tongue. That's why it came as no surprise when, at a press conference before Arsenal-City, he responded to the Gunners' more than 100 kilos spent on Declan Rice: “Normally when City spend this amount of money it is crazy. When others spend it , then it is how smart they are."

The Catalan made it clear that he does not interfere in other people's affairs: "I am not denying anyone can do whatever they want. I never judge what the others do. We are judged all the time, but it is fine," Pep added.

He explained that City bid for Declan Rice, but ended up pulling out of the race for the 'hammer'. "Arsenal pushed harder. They wanted him, or maybe Arteta was more convincing. The offer they made we couldn't meet because we couldn't afford to pay that much," he said.

"Arsenal thought they had to pay that amount, that's fine. They have lost important players, but their signing is really good. Now they have a young squad for many years to come. Everybody knows we wanted Declan Rice, we could play him when Rodri could not play, but in the end Arsenal pushed more and wanted him more," said Guardiola.

 

October 7, 2023