Latest news with #FerranSoriano
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man City chief accelerated transfer plan with eight signings as he makes club 'roots' vow
Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano has emphatically stated the club's commitment to its heritage amid their burgeoning global influence. With Manchester City now a key player in an international group of 12 clubs, they're aiming to boost their profile during a strong showing at the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States. Advertisement However, despite the astonishing transformation since Sheikh Mansour's 2008 takeover, Soriano has given assurances that the team's growth won't erode its historical values. READ MORE: Pep Guardiola hinted at a new Rodri plan and he showed why in Man City win READ MORE: How Man City signings have helped change the mood in Pep Guardiola's squad "We have our roots and we are proud of them," Soriano told DAZN. "But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club, and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do – which we believe is beautiful football – to the world. Advertisement "It's a combination that works very well and we are proud." City's quest in America began on Wednesday with a convincing 2-0 victory over Wydad AC from Morocco, delighting a Philadelphia crowd of 37,446. Despite facing scrutiny for various issues like timing within the season potentially impacting player welfare, expensive tickets, lacklustre attendances, inconvenient kick-off times, and venue choices, Soriano sees the value in the enlarged format of the tournament. It's witnessed a leap from a seven-team competition, last won by City in 2023, to a month-long spectacle with 32 teams vying for glory. The Spaniard said: "We are very excited by it. I think it's something that was very much needed. Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. Advertisement "You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the number one sport in the world. "I think it's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here." Manchester City have bolstered their squad with eight new signings this year, including four last week, as they bid to bounce back from a lacklustre 2024-25 campaign. He added: "The ambition for City in any competition is to win it. That's the status of the club. "Obviously it's not possible to win always, so we want to go as far as we can. Advertisement "The squad needs to be renewed. It's something that happens naturally. "We are very happy, I'm happy, with the work that we did. "Last summer we only bought one new player but this year between the winter and the summer it will be eight new ones. "It's part of the annual cycle, the renewal of the squad. We accelerated some of it and now we are very happy with the squad we have."
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano praises Club World Cup: ‘It was very much needed'
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has praised the concept of the newly-expanded Club World Cup, saying the change was 'very much needed'. City won the tournament two years ago when it was contested by seven teams but this summer it has grown to 32. It has split opinion but the prize pot is worth $1 billion in total and Soriano believes it is a good thing for the sport. Advertisement 'We are very excited by it, I think it's something that was very much needed,' he told reporters in the United States. 'Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. 'You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the number one sport in the world. 'I think it's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here.' Attendances have varied at different stadiums and cities but City's opening match in Philadelphia brought a crowd of 37,446. 'It's very important to be here because we are a global football club,' said Soriano. 'We have our roots and we are proud of them. But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do — which we believe is beautiful football — to the world. 'It's a combination that works very well and we are proud.' City beat Moroccan side Wydad AC 2-0 in their opening game and play Al Ain and Juventus in their remaining group matches. Having gone a season without a trophy for the first time since 2016-2017, City are aiming to go all the way in the U.S. 'The ambition for City in any competition is to win it. That's the status of the club,' Soriano added. 'Obviously, it's not possible to win always so we want to go as far as we can. But the ambition of Manchester City always is to win.'
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man City chief makes bold Club World Cup claim as rivals chase £97m prize money
Manchester City opened up their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Wydad and chief Ferran Soriano insists they want to win the competition as they bid to become a "global" club Ferran Soriano says Manchester City are determined to go 'global' and win the Club World Cup. City chief executive Soriano says it was vital they took part in the competition to stamp their name across the globe and build on their success in the Premier League. Despite the criticisms of the tournament, the clubs have bought into it and are also eyeing the £97m prize money for the winners. Soriano said: "We are very excited by it. I think it's something that was very much needed, soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. "You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the number one sport in the world. I think it's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here. "It's very important to be here because we are a global football club. We have our roots and we are proud of them. "But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do – which we believe is beautiful football – to the world. "It's a combination that works very well and we are proud. The ambition for City in any competition is to win it. That's the status of the club. "Obviously it's not possible to win always so we want to go as far as we can. But the ambition of Manchester City always is to win.' City have already spent big in 2025 as they have paid out nearly £300m on new signings to replenish the squad and Soriano hinted there will be more to come. When asked if they will keep refreshing, he added: "Definitely – it's part of the game. We look for stability, the fact that Pep is going to be with us for 10 years shows that we are a stable club. We are very happy – I'm happy with the work that we did. This is part of multi annual planning. "Last summer we only bought one new player but this year between the winter and the summer it will be eight new ones. It's part of the annual cycle, the renewal of the squad. We accelerated some of it and now we are very happy with the squad we have. "But the squad needs to be renewed. It's something that happens naturally. We've had fantastic players like Kevin De Bruyne who spent a decade with us. That's a testament to his quality but also our stability." 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.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
We have our roots and we are proud of them – Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano insists the club will not forget their roots as they continue to expand their global footprint. City, now part of an international network of 12 clubs, are hoping to further broaden their reach with a strong run at the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States. Yet while City have been transformed radically since being taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, Soriano maintains their ambitions will not come at the cost of tradition. Soriano told DAZN: 'We have our roots and we are proud of them. 'But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club, and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do – which we believe is beautiful football – to the world. 'It's a combination that works very well and we are proud.' City began their challenge in the US with a 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad AC in front of a crowd of 37,446 in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The tournament has faced plenty of criticism for a variety of reasons, including its positioning in the calendar and consequent player welfare concerns, ticket prices, poor attendances, kick-off times and venue choices. Yet Soriano has no doubt of the merits of the revamped competition, which has been expanded from the seven-team event won by City in 2023 to a month-long affair featuring 32 clubs. The Spaniard said: 'We are very excited by it. I think it's something that was very much needed. Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. 'You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the number one sport in the world. 'I think it's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here.' City have set their sights on victory having refreshed the squad following an underwhelming 2024-25 season. They signed four new players last week in Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli, having also brought in Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in January. Soriano said: 'The ambition for City in any competition is to win it. That's the status of the club. 'Obviously it's not possible to win always, so we want to go as far as we can. 'The squad needs to be renewed. It's something that happens naturally. 'We are very happy, I'm happy, with the work that we did. 'Last summer we only bought one new player but this year between the winter and the summer it will be eight new ones. 'It's part of the annual cycle, the renewal of the squad. We accelerated some of it and now we are very happy with the squad we have.'
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Manchester City CEO Soriano excited by global impact of new Club World Cup
Manchester City's chief executive Ferran Soriano said he was excited by the way the revamped 32-team Fifa Club World Cup was driving football's globalisation, with the Spaniard believing the holders can embrace the tournament's expanded format and still be relevant to their domestic fanbase. Pep Guardiola's side beat Morocco's Wydad 2-0 on Wednesday in Philadelphia in their opening group game as they began their defence of a title claimed two years ago in the competition's last seven-club iteration. Soriano said of the new format: 'We are very excited by it. It's something that was very much needed. Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the No 1 sport in the world. It's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here. 'It's very important to be here because we are a global football club. We have our roots and we are proud of them. But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do – which we believe is beautiful football – to the world. It's a combination that works very well and we are proud.' Goals from Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku secured the defeat of Wydad as Guardiola gave debuts to Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, two of his eight new recruits in the past two windows. Soriano said: 'I'm happy with the work that we did. This is part of multi-annual planning. Last summer we only bought one new player [Savinho, while Ilkay Gündogan returned on a free transfer] but this year between the winter and the summer it will be eight new ones. 'It's part of the annual cycle, the renewal of the squad. We accelerated some of it and now we are very happy with the squad we have. It's part of the game [to refresh]. We look for stability, the fact that Pep is going to be with us for 10 years shows that we are a stable club. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'But the squad needs to be renewed. It's something that happens naturally. We've had fantastic players like Kevin De Bruyne who spent a decade with us. That's a testament to his quality but also our stability.'
