Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Manchester United, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Premier League
Ryan Smart
Topics: Manchester United, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Premier League
Comments made by ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho about Manchester City's spending power have resurfaced after the club were charged with alleged financial breaches by the Premier League.
The charges relate to a nine-year period, between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.
The alleged breaches, meanwhile, relate to a number of different areas, including player and manager remuneration, not co-operating with an investigation, profitability and sustainabilty, and not handing over documents as required over five seasons between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 campaigns.
Advert
City have released an official statement, confirming they are 'surprised' at the alleged breaches being issued, and welcome the matter being reviewed by an independent commission.
If the club are found guilty of any breach, potential sanctions may include compensation, an order to pay costs, points deductions and potential expulsion from the league.
However, any sanctions relating to this season are said to be extremely unlikely, as per Sky Sports' Kaveh Solkehol, with the independent commission's review likely to be a lengthy one.
When he was manager of United, Mourinho guided the club to a second-place finish in the 2017/18 Premier League season, behind City.
Advert
The Portuguese boss orchestrated a famous 3-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium in April 2018. Paul Pogba's brace and a header from Chris Smalling secured the win after United were 2-0 down on a day that City could have mathematically won the title.
The season's achievement was ranked by Mourinho as one of his greatest in football, given the strength of United's squad in comparison to some of their rivals at the time.
During that season, the United boss bemoaned that the Red Devils could not compete with City when it came to spending big money on players. City are estimated to have spent over £1.5 billion on transfers since the club's takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in September 2008.
In a December 2017 interview with the club's official website, Mourinho said (quotes via Goal): "You think the club can put here now £600 million and let's buy six players of £100 million? The club cannot do that. I cannot expect the club to do that, so i's not critical and you can see how the market is, especially with the top teams.
Advert
"But, you know, without taking any credit away from Manchester City and Pep [Guardiola], and his staff, and the players, they obviously have lots of credit in what they are doing."
Citing the goalkeeper situation as an example, before reeling off numerous other City signings, Mourinho added: "But Pep arrives, he has the goalkeeper of England [Joe Hart], he doesn't like him so he buys the goalkeeper of Barcelona [Claudio Bravo]. He doesn't like him so he buys another one [Ederson]."
He later continued: "You think the club can put here now £600 million and let's buy six players of £100 million? The club cannot do that.
"Can we buy six or seven players at the same time? Can we invest £600-700 million? No. So, it's difficult.
Advert
"I think the last years, the market is going in such a direction or you belong to one of these clubs where there is no limit and you just buy what you want and there is no limit, there is no financial fair play, there is nothing, you do what you want - or it's hard."