Pep Guardiola claimed that critics would be queuing up to 'kill' Manchester City had they splurged the finances Chelsea have devoted to new signings over the last 12 months.
Ex-City midfielder Romeo Lavia became the latest to join Mauricio Pochettino's side on Friday in a £58million switch, taking Chelsea's spending to almost £1billion under Todd Boehly.
Guardiola has long been agitated at the perception that City - charged by the Premier League for alleged financial breaches - outspend all of their rivals and maintained that they will not be held to ransom when attempting to land anyone to fill the void left by the injured Kevin De Bruyne.