The appointment of Unai Emery was designed to help the club move forward but they have no chance of matching City under current constraints
The progress of Manchester City over the last decade – with mounds of cash injected directly into the club from Abu Dhabi – has been exceptional and so have the circumstances permitting it.
Pep Guardiola has got all the backing he needs in the transfer market and if City set limits on transfer fees or salaries it’s normally done with the approval of the coach. It’s not simply that they can’t pay; it’s that they won’t pay, as has been proven in the cases of Alexis Sanchez and Frenkie de Jong for example.