Pep: Rivals get easier ride over big spending

PEP Guardiola claims Arsenal are given an easier ride over their spending than Manchester City as the two sides prepare to resume hostilities this weekend.

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

City and Arsenal have developed a bitter rivalry on and off the pitch in recent years and Guardiola used Arsenal's £300million summer spending spree to point out that the Gunners are treated differently when they splash the cash.

Arsenal's window took their spending since the summer of 2021 to more than £900million, which is marginally more than City's in the same period. But while Guardiola's side have hoovered up silverware, Arsenal have won nothing, and the Blues boss turned up the sarcasm to stress his point.

"I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta, if he wins the title, it will be just because he spent, not because he worked a lot or his players," said Guardiola.

"It's like Liverpool. If Arne (Slot) wins again, it will be because he spent a lot of money. Right? Because it's not just Man City that happened. It's for all of them.