Girona chairman Pere Guardiola has expressed his unhappiness over suggestions that his side are Manchester City’s reserve team.
Manchester City owners, the City Football Group, own a stake in the Spanish club, and this connection has seen the Citizens send several of their young players on loan to Girona for the past few years.
Girona are currently leading the league table and Pere Guardiola has expressed his delight over the La Liga side’s latest feat, during an interview with Sport.
Towards the end, the Catalan club’s chairman was asked if claims suggesting Girona are a Manchester City’s subsidiary ‘bother’ him.
“This about the City reserve team is nonsense. We have run the club from here since day one,” he said.
“It has cost us a lot, we have made capital increases, we have achieved promotions and relegations, we have had setbacks and today we do what we do thanks to all this, for everything we have done before. Before they didn’t tell us that we were from City or Pepito de los Palotes. It’s nonsense.”
Savinho has been one of Girona’s stars this season, scoring two goals and registering four assists from seven games. The Spanish side took him on loan from Troyes, who are also owned by the Manchester City owners.
The 19-year-old has publicly revealed his dream to join Pep Guardiola’s side in the future, which is why he joined Troyes.
Sport asked the Girona chairman about the possibility of losing some of his stars in the winter market, including Savinho.
“We have everything quite protected, but football and its industry is very dynamic, for good and bad,” Pere explained.
“This summer, Oriol [Romeu], who was the cornerstone of the coach’s system, left us and we feared that maintaining our level would be at risk. But now we are going like a bullet.
“In January perhaps there may be clubs that are interested in some of our players because this performance does not go unnoticed, but the most important ones are very attached.”
