Pep Guardiola aims another jibe at Liverpool and Man Utd over their spending

Pep Guardiola has aimed another barb at Liverpool, questioning why their spending and sponsorship deals – and those of Manchester United – are judged differently to Manchester City.

The Spanish coach created headlines on Sunday when he hit out at the favouritism he feels Liverpool enjoy, telling beIN Sports entirely unprompted: ‘Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone.’

He also threw in a dig at Liverpool’s less-than-spectacular record in the Premier League across the last three decades, saying: ‘They have an incredible history behind them in European competitions. Not in the Premier League, because they’ve won one in 30 years.’

Fresh from sealing a £51million deal for Erling Haaland – though agents’ fees, bonuses and wages will take the actual fee far higher – Guardiola has now switched his ire to the spending of his rivals, which he feels is treated and perceived differently to that of City.

Asked why he feels there is a degree of snobbery attached to the perception of City’s spending, Guardiola told Sky Sports: ‘Listen, Liverpool in the 1970s or 80s, or United with Sir Alex Ferguson – who spent more money?

‘Who spent more money? It was Norwich? Norwich spent more money in that period?

‘Or what other teams… Leicester? Leicester spent more money than them? No. They spent more money than the other ones. But the money from them is completely different than now.’

Asked why that is, he replied: ‘I’ve said I’m not going to change that [perception].

‘When we put here [on the front of our shirts] Etihad, people say, “Oh it’s overpaid”. But now United and Liverpool are going to get paid maybe more than us, because maybe deserved because they are working well, because the CEO negotiated well, whatever happened.

‘They get more and because it’s from the United States of America or another country – or the owners are – so now its perfect.

‘So that’s why it’s not going to change, for a long time it’s not going to change, that is the reality. The only way we can change is doing well on the pitch.’

Manchester City – who broke the Premier League transfer record when they signed Jack Grealish for £100m last summer – are believed to earn around £67.5m per season from their deal with Abu Dhabi airline Etihad.

Liverpool reportedly secured a record £80m-a-year deal with Standard Chartered when they renewed their contract earlier this year, while United actually took a hit on their old deal with Chevrolet when they agreed a £235m, five-year contract with TeamViewer.

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