Since joining Manchester City in 2016, Pep Guardiola has been no stranger to success.

Guiding his side to a total of eight major trophies over the course of his reign, Guardiola has won everything there is to win in the English game, including the Premier League on three occasions.

City also look likely to provide the 51-year-old Spaniard with a fourth top-flight triumph this season, as they currently sit nine points clear of Liverpool at the top of the league.

For talkSPORT's Simon Jordan, however, Guardiola should have more honours under his belt for his reputation, considering the amount of money splashed out at the Etihad Stadium under his leadership.

Former Crystal Palace chairman recently suggested others could easily have guided City to the same success, given similar financial backing - including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

"If you take the time they’ve been together, the fact of the matter is that every single Premier League point that’s been won by Guardiola has cost Manchester City £667,000.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on November 06, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

"Every point that’s been won by Liverpool under Klopp has cost Liverpool £243,000. So Guardiola has spent almost three times the amount of money that Klopp has spent," reasoned Jordan.

His talkSPORT co-host Trevor Sinclair tried to point out that City had also managed to recoup some of their transfer outlay with player sales - Ferran Torres' £49.5 million switch to Barcelona last month being just one example - but Jordan was on a tear with his rant.

"Klopp took over a side that were disappointed after losing out on the Premier League and were in disarray after Brendan Rodgers lost his way in that 2014/15 season.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 23: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates at the end of the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Selhurst Park on January 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“You’ve got to compare and contrast. If you compare the times they’ve been there, Guardiola has spent three times the amount of money, fact."

Following his October 2015 appointment, Klopp rebuilt the Anfield outfit in his own mould, ultimately guiding Liverpool to their first league title in three decades in 2020. As Jordan points out, this was achieved on a far lower budget than Guardiola was afforded.

“If you gave Klopp £667,000 per point won in the Premier League in the six years he’s been there he may well be in the same situation as Guardiola was in because Guardiola is a chequebook manager. It’s unarguable!”

Watch: Simon Jordan labels Guardiola a "chequebook manager"

Plenty of City fans, of course, would argue. In Guardiola's defence, it's not only in Manchester where he has proven himself as a top-level boss.

His reigns at Barcelona and Bayern Munich were similarly trophy-laden, although he had strong financial backing and a talented squad at his disposal.

To belittle Guardiola's managerial ability based solely on the amount of money he has had to spend does seem extreme.

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One area where the City boss has fallen definitely short of Klopp to date, though, is in the Champions League.

Liverpool's charismatic boss guided his Reds side to the greatest prize in European club football in 2019. The closest Guardiola has come to matching that accomplishment with City was in last year's final, when his team were pipped to the trophy by Chelsea.

City and Liverpool are among the favourites to win this season's competition, having both enjoyed impressive away victories in their respective last-16 first-leg matches this week.

Klopp sinks Inter! (Via The Football Terrace)

History will decide whether Guardiola or Klopp goes down as the better man, but European triumphs will ultimately count far more towards their respective legacies than the amount they've paid in transfer fees.