Yaya Toure: No excuses for Manchester City

Yaya Toure says Manchester City have no excuse if they fail to win silverware after several high-profile transfers in the off-season.

City brought in Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Buyne and Nicolas Otamendi to strengthen their squad and Toure feels success is a must following their big spending.

“This club have long been in the shadow of [Manchester] United and I think with all this desire, our chairman, director, they have been really ambitious and they want to build a massive club and make this club better than any in the world,” Toure told BT Sport.

“You see it with the facility we have and this year we do not have an excuse. New fantastic players have come and joined us to make the club great and we are looking forward and hungry for success this year.”

City have struggled to make an impact in the Champions League, irrespective of their domestic successes, but Toure is optimistic about their chances this season.

“When you see the team settle and the mentality, in the dressing room when you see the lads, I’ll be honest it’s one of the few times that I have seen the players all commit and focus because they all want something and they all work for something,” he said.

“When you see the games we have been playing, when you see the guys and how they fight for each other and thinking about doing well. I think until the end we’ll continue to fight. Pellegrini is the type of manager who is very, very clever.”

City, who lead the Premier League by two points from second-placed Arsenal, are at home to Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday.