Manuel Pellegrini has recently said that Manchester City missed on Alexis Sanchez because of the FFP (financial fair play) and the Chilean subsequently signed for Arsenal and became the success we all know.

Sky Sports reported the story coming from the Chilean radio station ADN.

Pellegrini praised Sanchez:He was one of the best in the world and he showed it every day. He was a major player we wanted to take to City. Alexis is a complete winner and hopefully he will remain a force for a number of years.”

And then explained why City did not manage to sign him:

“We could not take him before he signed for Arsenal, it was because the club was punished for Financial Fair Play. I did not have the space in the squad for him.”

Back in 2014, Manchester City and PSG were punished by UEFA for FFP breach. City were fined £49m and their Champions League squad was restricted to 21 players including the usual eight home grown players. That’s why City had to extend contract to players like Dedrick Boyata, a player with limited game time but considered as home grown.

Many Arsenal fans complained for years about Arsene Wenger’s penny pinching and not spending BIG money on players. But that example clearly shows the benefits of having a house in order and Arsenal are reaping the rewards of this signing.

I don’t think the boss will ever get the credit he deserved from those so called-fans though. They only seem to recognise when he gets things wrong, which happens less often that things going right.