Pep Guardiola again rubbished the suggestion that Manchester City may carry regrets over the summer departures of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, insisting that their subsequent success at Arsenal is a source of motivation.
City sanctioned the sales of full-back Zinchenko and striker Jesus for a combined £75million, and both have played a key role in Arsenal's unexpected title charge. The Gunners, led by another former City figure in Mikel Arteta, are five points ahead of the Blues in the table with a game in hand at the halfway stage.
With City struggling for consistency, there have been external suggestions that a mistake was made in selling two important players to Arsenal, but Guardiola has always insisted that both wanted to leave and there are no regrets.
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With Arteta, Zinchenko and Jesus returning to the Etihad for the first time this season on Friday in the FA Cup - although Jesus won't play through injury - Guardiola was asked again if City made a mistake in letting them go to rivals who are now ahead of them in the table.
"Why not? Because they are winning, my friend. Ah!" he said, explaining that their success at Arsenal is only acting as motivation to beat them in the cup and to the league title.
"Oleks and Gabriel have been amazing with us, I have incredible respect as persons first and after as football players. Of course we want to beat them, but all the success they have, and they have families, it is going well, I am more than delighted for them. If it’s happened it’s because the players and both clubs agree with that.
"Many times Oleks could leave and say want to stay, stay, stay and he stay. And Gabriel was the same and we agreed because it was a lot of years, they need a new challenge, Arsenal want them, this time they leave.
"It is going well for them, congratulations. We have to try and beat them, be close to them, tomorrow and the season in the future."
Guardiola also responded to Arteta's comments this week that he would prefer not to face his friend in a title race, saying he always expected that the former City assistant would turn Arsenal into title contenders.
"I am not suspicious. I said all my comments about Mikel when he was here and in the first seasons," he said.
"The expectation Arsenal demands because it is one of the most important clubs in England. I know my opinion of them now, it is 50 points.
"I had the feeling, we knew it when he was here, his ability for City. It is the biggest compliment for Arsenal as well, for the hierarchy, the sporting director, the club, backing him in the bad moments and trusting him and keeping him and relying on him and all the decisions that were made.
"I guess it was not easy because important figures were dropped and to do this the people had to support him. That happened, that’s why at the end, you need time, you need investment and the results are there. It is a challenge for us to challenge them and this is the deal."
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