Pep Guardiola quipped that he was irritated with his Manchester City hierarchy for not investing more in the transfer window, taking aim at their reputation for spending.

City secured Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in Januaryto bring their outlay over the past 12 months to £430million. But Guardiola has pointed out his club are still not among the mostextravagant spenders.

They have also recouped hundreds of millions through departures over the previous five years. Six clubs - including their Carabao Cup semi-final opponents Newcastle - boast a higher net spend than City.

Having repeatedly challenged the unjust perception that surrounds the club with their achievements being attributed to finances, Guardiola couldn't resist highlighting that the expectation and burden should now rest with the six sides that have invested more than them: United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, and Liverpool.

"I'm a little bit sad and upset because, in net spend, the last five years we are 7th in the Premier League. I want to be the first, I don't understand why the club don't spend more money. I am a little bit grumpy with them," he said.

• Pep Guardiola makes 'clever' exit plan as Man City boss could quit this summer

• Premier League 'vision' clip comes to light after Rodri's controversial Man City claim

FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FB PAGE!Follow our Manchester City Mirror Football Facebook page

"But like we won in the past because we spent a lot, now six teams have to win the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues and FA Cups because they spend more in the last five years. These are facts. It's not an opinion.

"You can say an opinion, like you say you play good or bad against Spurs - we can agree or disagree. But they are facts.

"Good luck to the six teams who are in front of us for net spend for the last five years. Let's go. I'm waiting. That's a nice quote, eh?".

City hold a 2-0 advantage over Newcastle heading into the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and will be hoping to secure another trip to Wembley.

"This is the point of today and tomorrow. We have a chance to make our fifth final in ten years in the Carabao Cup.

"Of course a good result, I prefer to start 2-0 up but I know how many times we play against Newcastle and the pride they have as a Champions League team," he said.

"We have to be prepared and see how the players recover from a tough game at Spurs and play our game with our people and our fans and try to reach Wembley in March."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us - and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.