Stefan Borson believes that Manchester City's latest spending spree is a 'sign of confidence' following their dispute with the Premier League. In February 2023, the English top flight charged its champions with 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations.

These include accusations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information and failed to cooperate with investigations spanning nine seasons (2009/10 to 2017/18). Manchester City denied any wrongdoing, so they looked to prove their innocence in front of an independent panel.

The case, that was being heard in private at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London, concluded late last year. It's said that if Manchester City were to be found guilty, they could be hit with either a financial penalty or points deductions.

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The independent panel have been considering the evidence from both parties and they're expected to deliver a verdict in the coming months. In the meantime, Manchester City haven't been afraid to spend big in the January transfer window.

Pep Guardiola looks set to welcome several new faces to the Etihad Stadium this month, including Vitor Reis (from Palmeiras for £29.4m), Abdukodir Khusanov (from Lens for £33.6m) and Omar Marmoush (from Eintracht Frankfurt for £50.5m). Manchester City have recently tied Erling Haaland down to a new long-term contract too.

According to The i Paper, the club have also invested £400m in a new stand and hotels. Speaking to the British newspaper, Borson suggested that Manchester City's spending could be a 'sign of confidence' after locking horns with the Premier League.

"It’s all a sign of confidence," said the football finance expert. "All of the spending and recent commitments are meaningful in my view.
Anyone who tries to argue this is all some kind of elaborate sleight of hand isn’t credible."

Borson added: "Any sensible business faced with this kind of scenario, with all that risk and uncertainty, would pause if they had a lack of confidence in the outcome of the case. You’d go: ‘We don’t know where this is going, this season has been a bit of a disaster, let’s be cautious and have a look at it again in the summer with more clarity.’

"So, unless you were supremely confident, you’d be cautious. And City are clearly investing aggressively. It’s consistent with the confidence they’ve articulated all the way along."

In December, Guardiola suggested that a verdict on the case could arrive as soon as February or March. Speaking to reporters ahead of Manchester City's clash against Aston Villa, the Spaniard was asked whether uncertainty around the dispute could deter prospective signings.

He said: "I don't know. It's going to happen in winter time. I don't know what's going to happen. I know the people are expecting that but I don't know. In February, March, [maybe] will be the sentence."

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have watched the drama unfold from the sidelines, so they'll be eager to find out the final verdict and how it may – or may not – impact them.