Guardiola on Chelsea spending, Lavia, City academy and Saudi money
Guardiola on Chelsea spending, Lavia, City academy and Saudi money
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00:00 Obviously no disrespect to the players you had on the bench,
00:03 the attacking players against Sevilla,
00:05 but because of the injuries you've got, the players you've left,
00:08 when you looked at the bench on Wednesday,
00:10 you didn't have many experienced attackers,
00:12 you've got the injuries, I know it's a challenge,
00:15 you're not going to moan, but is it a concern that you're a lot lighter
00:19 than you have been in recent seasons with regard to squad depth?
00:24 Yeah, Julián had the problems,
00:29 it was a discomfort, otherwise we would have played,
00:32 Julián has become so important for us,
00:34 but having discomfort, they want to take risks,
00:36 that's why it was for 50-20 minutes,
00:39 especially as an incredible penalty taker in terms of personality,
00:43 that's why he played the last minutes,
00:44 and of course Bernardo will be back soon, next week we'll be ready.
00:47 So, but yeah, we're talking a lot with Chiqui,
00:52 what we have to do, I don't know with what will happen,
00:56 maybe we need to watch someone else,
00:59 but at the same time, my opinion, I like a short,
01:02 but the blow from Kevin changed a little bit the perspective,
01:07 Kevin is a really, really important player,
01:10 we don't lose him one week, two weeks,
01:13 so it's four months, five months, 32, 33 years old,
01:17 he's a team that needs to be physical, because his actions are so...
01:21 it's not actions like, I would say, I don't know,
01:24 Bernardo, he needs pace, he needs...
01:27 So you have to reflect a little bit, the squad,
01:31 thinking about what we have to do,
01:34 but at the same time, the market is the market,
01:40 we have to control everything, because...
01:43 We are not the only one in Manchester City that spends a lot of money,
01:50 it looks like apparently in the last years.
01:55 Kevin's obviously a unique talent, how do you replace him in the market?
01:58 There are players... No, there are players that are not replaceable.
02:03 There are players that are not replaceable,
02:05 so at the end, when we go to the market,
02:09 not to replace Kevin, Kevin is with me and will come back,
02:12 in January, February, he will be with us,
02:13 next season he will be with us,
02:14 until the end of the contract, or extend, I don't know, he will be with us.
02:18 So it's not copy-paste, OK, Kevin is not here,
02:21 I know Kevin De Bruyne is not about that,
02:23 but maybe we will need him, maybe not, we will see.
02:27 We are talking and we will see what happens.
02:32 How difficult have the club found the transfer market this summer?
02:37 Do you think it's getting more and more difficult?
02:40 Well, Chelsea is easier than us.
02:43 That's for sure.
02:45 I could not be sitting here if we had spent with Chelsea,
02:47 if we had spent in two transfer windows, you would kill me.
02:51 You would kill me.
02:54 That's for sure.
02:56 We would be under scrutiny like you cannot imagine.
03:00 We could not be part of the Manchester City at all.
03:03 I know.
03:05 You just look at the spend net in the last five, six, seven years,
03:08 or even this year in the position that we are,
03:10 that looks like.
03:11 And there are issues I like a lot,
03:14 like when the people say,
03:16 "Chelsea or whatever team, buy this player."
03:18 Manchester City just paid, buy the players.
03:23 I didn't know I have a lot of money in my pocket
03:25 to buy all the players I have.
03:26 So, as I say, everyone so much, we have to see.
03:31 We have to see what happens in the market.
03:32 If we are able to do it, we'll do it.
03:36 And of course, trying to follow what always we have done
03:41 to pay what we believe is fair.
03:44 Because at the end, we won at Maguire,
03:46 didn't find him because we didn't want to pay.
03:47 We won at Cucurella, we didn't pay.
03:49 We won at Alexis Sanchez, we didn't pay.
03:52 So at the end, we're going to pay what is fair to do it.
03:54 Otherwise, we have the academy.
03:56 We were lucky for the academy, two transfer windows.
03:59 We won £80 million for just the players that didn't stay.
04:03 We have new players in the academy,
04:04 two or three that they will be top.
04:07 I have to take care of them,
04:08 otherwise they will be stolen again.
04:10 So, and at the end, we have to spend with the young players,
04:14 like just go for the next four, five, six, seven years.
04:18 I think the club is so smart doing what they have done,
04:21 because of course, everyone will be like Brighton.
04:24 You know that, everyone.
04:26 But we play here to win the travels.
04:28 We are here because the demand to win every single game
04:31 and playing a fantastic game, many, many, many things.
04:33 So that's the strategy is doing and Chiqui Ferran,
04:36 Khaldun and everyone, Omar, is doing a good job.
04:40 And if it's possible, we're going to do it.
04:41 If not, we will see what happens.
04:43 That's why I cannot assure anything.
04:46 We will not be desperate to do something
04:49 where we don't believe we have to do it
04:52 just to have one more player.
04:54 There are a lot of clubs,
04:55 they have to get rid of a lot, a lot, a lot of players,
04:59 because they have 35, 36, 37 players in the squad.
05:02 Long players come back.
05:04 We don't have that problem.
05:05 That is so nice.
05:07 And that's why the strategy they have done in the last years.
05:10 So last year we have spent net, we won.
05:12 We spent net last season, we won money.
05:14 We want to travel with that.
05:15 That means the club is working really, really well
05:17 in many, many things.
05:19 I understand the strategy of not wanting to overpay for a player,
05:24 but given what's happened to Kevin with the injury,
05:27 it feels imperative that you probably do need someone in central midfield.
05:31 So is now the time?
05:33 It depends.
05:34 Phil can play there, Maga can play there,
05:36 Kovac can play there, Bernardo can play there.
05:39 Since Kevin is here, maybe we need more of the wingers,
05:41 because Kovac can play there, but Bernardo can play there well.
05:44 Phil can play there too.
05:45 So there are four or five players that can play in the middle now.
05:48 That is so...
05:49 That is so blessed.
05:50 It's more a question of numbers.
05:52 You know, like James has said, maybe we're a little bit shorter.
05:56 I like short, short.
05:58 I don't like to have...
06:00 give players at home in the weekends.
06:02 That is unsustainable.
06:03 I don't want to have important players every weekend at home
06:07 because they are not selected, not even in the bench.
06:10 Being a lot of players.
06:11 I want the perfect numbers that be in the bench
06:14 to help us in the Carabaos and FA Cups and Premier Leagues.
06:17 And I had the feeling right now,
06:20 you know, we are falling down.
06:22 So a lot of injures, small injures, small injures.
06:25 It happened because the schedule is the schedule.
06:27 So it's the schedule.
06:30 It looks like yesterday we were in Istanbul.
06:32 We have to be honest.
06:33 It looks like we were yesterday in Istanbul
06:35 and we are here already, we have already played two finals
06:38 and we are there.
06:40 And Jono Stones, he takes care of himself incredibly.
06:43 One of the highest professionals there.
06:46 But he needs to rest.
06:48 He has no time to rest.
06:49 And that's why a little bit going, a little bit hamstring,
06:52 a little bit here.
06:53 Kevin could have needed more time to recover,
06:56 but it's what it is.
06:57 So we don't have time.
06:59 And this is the problem that you have to think about it.
07:02 Hopefully we can, you know, we can do it.
07:08 Sorry, just back to Chelsea's spending.
07:11 Are you surprised that they just keep,
07:13 they seem able to just keep spending?
07:15 Absolutely not.
07:18 They can do whatever they want.
07:19 I want to criticise Chelsea one second.
07:21 I'm saying if we do it, we are dead all around the world.
07:25 They can do whatever they want if they can do it.
07:27 I have a relation with Tom Boyle.
07:28 I met him and I'm glad when they do it.
07:33 Of course they can do it.
07:34 They can do whatever they want if they want to spend
07:37 £930 million since they arrived.
07:40 We want to spend £100 million, £100 million,
07:42 if they have it.
07:44 So the business is the business and they sell a lot this season.
07:46 So if they can do it.
07:49 I don't like when they criticise me, what we do,
07:51 what I have to say.
07:52 Everyone has his own business and everyone do what is the best
07:56 for the club, you know, and everyone do it.
07:58 And Arsenal in three weeks spent three incredible players,
08:01 but they want to beat us because our standards are there.
08:05 And they don't want Manchester City to win again.
08:06 And they want to buy top players to compete with us.
08:09 They didn't know we would do it.
08:10 First season we didn't win.
08:12 In the second season, get rid of ten players,
08:14 they buy Kyle, Benja and all the players spend £200 million.
08:19 You know, in that transfer market, I think so.
08:21 But not every season we have done it.
08:23 But it looks like it's just, just we are less,
08:25 that's how the people, the mindset have to start to change it.
08:28 Everyone spends, everyone, everyone.
08:31 Here in Spain and everywhere.
08:34 A lot, not just Man City.
08:36 And they can do whatever they want.
08:37 As much as the financial is correct, that UEFA approve it,
08:41 and now we are in the Premier League, what they will decide.
08:44 Every club they do whatever they want because they play for the fans,
08:47 they want to do the best football as possible for the fans,
08:50 they want to win the titles, and every season getting better and better.
08:53 And that's normal, everybody wins.
08:55 Tell me the truth, are you enjoying a lot with the transfer windows?
08:58 Yeah?
08:59 This player, the other one, it's like they are in two mounts.
09:03 Sky Television, there's a new player here,
09:04 a new player there, here, there.
09:06 It's so funny, no?
09:09 I would like to be shorter, I would love to have finished
09:12 the transfer window before the start, but it's what it is.
09:14 But imagine now in Saudi Arabia, they finish later.
09:17 Imagine now arriving, I want to have five players here.
09:21 Everybody complains about the Saudi Arabia, about the clubs.
09:24 Saudi Arabia knock the door to all the clubs,
09:26 open the door, red carpet, what do you want my friend?
09:30 They sell everything.
09:32 They are so happy, yeah?
09:34 I complain, yeah?
09:35 For everything, everyone has opened the door.
09:38 Opened the door.
09:39 In this league and in other leagues I complain about that,
09:42 but after they make a deal.
09:44 Make a deal with Saudi Arabia or whatever.
09:47 So, the reality is the reality.
09:50 Everyone tries to do the best, everyone, everyone.
09:53 And step by step, not just Man City, you know?
09:57 Win just for it.
09:58 We want, because we have a lot of players,
09:59 spend a lot of money like everyone.
10:01 But there are a lot of work behind the scenes,
10:02 it's not just the money, win the travels, my friends, I'm so sorry.
10:06 We want to defend the crowns, and tomorrow start.
10:09 Two more questions, one from the mic.
10:13 Pep, through all this, how important has Phil Foden become to you and the squad?
10:20 You get the feeling now that this is his moment, do you agree with that?
10:24 Phil is a reality.
10:27 I said many times, he loves football, and that is an incredible advantage.
10:32 He will play every day.
10:35 And he has to improve, he can improve.
10:39 He will learn, he will learn.
10:42 At the end we forget, you know, the impact was incredible.
10:45 But he is 22, 23 years old.
10:48 So young, won already five Premier Leagues, four or five Champions League,
10:54 won everything, national team.
10:58 You know, his private life has to be more important.
11:00 But he is getting better, he can do better,
11:02 and as a player he can play in three or four positions.
11:05 His mentality is really good.
11:09 He is an academy player, for us he is like Ricola,
11:12 he is like Cole Palmer now, like many players.
11:15 You cannot imagine, you know, Romelu Lavia now,
11:18 he is living in Chelsea, and Jo Trafford in Barley.
11:22 So the academy is f***ing so good.
11:26 So many, many, many incredible players are playing in that.
11:30 The academy helps us a lot to be sustainable in our club.
11:33 We are grateful, the first team for the academy, thank you so much.
11:36 How they help us, and there are two or three or four new players in the academy
11:40 that will help us this season to maintain our level.
11:46 Joao Cancelo, he has camp play in central midfield,
11:51 he's not been in your squads,
11:54 does that mean that his future is likely to be away from Manchester City?
11:59 Cancelo is still with us.
12:01 I don't know right now if it's going to happen, I don't know.
12:04 Can we just ask if you're aware, is the Lucas Pequeta deal not going forward?
12:15 Pequeta, I said before, with my Brazilian man,
12:21 he's playing with Ham and I don't talk about players in other teams,
12:24 never have done and never will do it.
12:27 Thank you.
12:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]