Simon Jordan has claimed that Manchester City's Premier League title bid is clouded by an 'asterisk' due to the unresolved 115 charges against the club. The talkSPORT pundit and former Crystal Palace owner argued that any success achieved by Pep Guardiola's side would be tainted until the matter is settled.
The hearing into City's alleged breaches of financial regulations concluded in December 2024 after a 12-week tribunal, but no verdict has yet been reached. City, who deny any wrongdoing, now await the final decision regarding the charges, which cover a period from 2009 to 2018 during which they won three league titles.
City closed to within three points of Arsenal after a 2-1 win over the Gunners at the Etihad, with Erling Haaland scoring the winner following a Kai Havertz equaliser that cancelled out Rayan Cherki's opener. Guardiola's side can leapfrog Arsenal on Wednesday if they beat Burnley by more than one goal.
Jordan also suggested that City could be seen as having 'bottled' the title if they fail to capitalise on their current position. 'If Manchester City go top of the league and then lose two of the remaining five games and Arsenal win all of their games, then I would suggest Man City look internally,' he said. 'There would be an element of Manchester choked on it.'
The former owner criticised City's January transfer activity, in which they signed Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, viewing it as an unfair advantage during the ongoing uncertainty. 'It's lovely when you can dip into the market and buy the best two players in their positions,' Jordan remarked, adding that the asterisk over City's recent history remains prominent.
