Premier League allegations latest: Why senior club executives visited Manchester City dressing room after Tottenham defeat

Manchester City executives Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano were party to dressing room scenes after a 1-0 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday evening, as per reports.

City’s recent defensive woes continued as Pierre-Emile Højbjerg pounced on a mistake near the edge of the the Blues’ box to play in Harry Kane, who finished expertly past Ederson for the winner after 15 minutes.

Following Arsenal’s shock defeat away at Everton on Saturday, the Premier League champions failed to reduce the gap to the top of the table and hence remain five points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing pack, having played one more game than the Gunners.

However, what followed Manchester City’s recent defeat – their fourth of the Premier League campaign – has shocked the football world due to its unprecedented nature, extent and timing.

On Monday morning, Manchester City were charged with over 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules that took place between 2009-18 following a four-year investigation.

The club released a statement addressing the charges, which read: “Manchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with.

“The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

Several reports from media organisations have since dissected what the allegations could mean for the reigning Premier League champions and their position in England’s top-flight.

Pep Guardiola will preview his side’s upcoming league clash with Aston Villa in a press conference on Friday, with no Manchester City executive having spoken officially yet on the allegations since the Premier League released their statement earlier this week.

After City’s spirited 4-2 triumph over Tottenham over two weeks ago, Guardiola admitted he sensed the squad have lost their hunger as he sent a public plea for the club to do better from top to bottom.

Results improved as the Blues picked up much-needed wins over Wolves and Arsenal but a lacklustre display against Antonio Conte’s side saw City maintain their perfect record of losing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As reported by Sam Lee of The Athletic, Manchester City chairman and chief executive officer, Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano, were involved behind the scenes after a disappointing day at the office for the Premier League champions.

Al Mubarak reportedly spent 45 minutes in the City dressing room after the game, with Soriano joining him for 30 minutes in what would have been a group reflection on the defeat and an evident drop in the club’s on-pitch standards since the Qatar World Cup.

Still locked in a title race currently led by Arsenal, Manchester City are believed to be in the hunt to nail down how and where inconsistency has flooded in as they pursue a third straight league title and their fifth under Guardiola.

Conversations with City’s senior executives in the dressing room after the game were strictly around football, it is worth adding.

Questions will be asked of Pep Guardiola on Friday and the onus lies on the Catalan and his group to send a message to the world amidst the noise caused by the allegations when Manchester City welcome Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.