Guardiola: 'Rookies will elevate Arsenal'
*Arsenal - Man City: 10pm Sunday, August 6, on MetaSports.
Arsenal spent the most from the beginning of the summer of 2023. At the end of June, the Emirates Stadium owner recruited 24-year-old midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea for a total transfer fee of $ 82 million. On July 14, they debuted their second rookie - 22-year-old midfielder Jurrien Timber moved from Ajax for a fee of $ 45 million with a fee of $ six million.
By mid-July, "Gunners" completed a record deal to buy Declan Rice from West Ham for a total of $ 137 million. This deal makes Rice the most expensive British player in history, breaking the record of $ 127 million Man City spent to buy Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021, and also the most expensive contract in Arsenal history, breaking the record. Nicolas Pepe's $87 million summer 2019.
At the press conference before the English Super Cup, when asked if these expensive rookies would help Arsenal reach new heights, Guardiola replied: "Certainly. Arteta has put Arsenal back in their place." .
Man City also targeted Rice after losing captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barca on a free transfer. The Etihad Stadium owner sent an offer of $ 101 million for a transfer fee with a fee of $ 13 million, but was rejected by West Ham. The Premier League champions later withdrew from the race because they felt that West Ham's demands, especially on the payment structure, were too high. Guardiola was not disappointed and said Rice made the right decision to come to Arsenal. The 52-year-old coach also praised the English midfielder as a class player and will be very important in Arsenal's squad.
Not only Arsenal, Guardiola said that Man Utd, Liverpool or Newcastle will be stronger after spending money on the transfer floor. Man Utd signed Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Liverpool recruited Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Newcastle bought Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes. "There are many clubs with ambition to win the title and the challenge is huge for Man City," admitted Guardiola. "We couldn't win more than we did. But the challenge is whether City still have the desire and desire to defend what they have won."
Man City is aiming for a historic treble. After winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup last season, the Etihad Stadium owner met Arsenal in the English Super Cup match at Wembley Stadium on August 6, and Sevilla in the European Super Cup match in Greece on August 16. and attend the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia in December.
Guardiola aspires to win all three titles, but thinks Man City is far behind Arsenal in the process of preparing for the new season. He explained: "We ended last season two weeks later, and started this season two weeks later. So Man City is not in the best form."
When asked about the future of duo Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva, Guardiola emphasized that he would not keep players who want to leave, but other clubs must make suitable offers. He prioritized retaining this pillar duo to help Man City maintain a thick force. The Spanish coach also revealed that midfielder Josko Gvardiol is undergoing medical examination and hopes the deal will be completed by the end of this week. Man City is said to have accepted to pay the fee of 112 million USD (100 million euros) that RB Leipzig asked to release Gvardiol. This figure is higher than the $ 85 million that Transfermarkt website values the Croatian defender.
