Guardiola admits jibe from ‘clever’ Klopp has ‘bothered’ him

Pep Guardiola has responded to Jurgen Klopp’s comments on Manchester City’s spending.

Klopp stated last month that only four clubs can afford to spend constantly, with City among them.

The Premier League champions were said to be ‘baffled’ by the claim, with their chief operating officer admitting “we were a little bit surprised”.

But Guardiola himself has gone a little further by admitting Klopp’s words wound him up.

“It bothers me of course because it’s not true that we spend hundreds of millions in every transfer window,” he said.

“Liverpool are not a small team, of course. I don’t like saying things that aren’t true.

“Last season we spent £17million on one player. I took over a team but we can’t spend hundreds of millions every season. We brought one player and Angelino so the clubs can’t spend every season.

“I am not going to comment on other managers. They can say what they say, but it’s not true.”

Asked later what he admired about Klopp, Guardiola said that he likes “many things” about his closest rival.

“Class manager, top manager. Clever. He played quite similar in Dortmund. It’s an incredible challenge every time we face his teams and his message is always positive

“I think he’s so good for football. His message is always positive, sometimes some exceptions but most of the time always good.”