Manchester City announced this Saturday the hiring of Croatian center-back Josko Gvardiol, from German RB Leipzig, for five seasons. The 21-year-old defender is the second signing for the 2023/24 season for coach Pep Guardiola’s team after the arrival of his teammate Mateo Kovacic.
Gvardiol, 21 times international with Croatia, was one of the bulwarks of the selection in the last World Cup, where they signed a creditable third place. His great performances both with his national team and with his club have made him the most expensive defender in history. The English club has paid 90 million euros to take over the services of the
At Leipzig, he played 87 games in the two seasons he has been at the club (2021/22 and 2022/23). He scored five goals and won two Cup trophies.
The center-back, who fell with Leipzig in the Champions League against Manchester City in the round of 16 (8-1) last season, stated that “luckily” he will have the Norwegian Erling Haaland in his team this season and he should not “worry of the”. “We all know what he did for us last season and congratulations to Erling; It’s nice to have him on my side now, but yes, last season and the previous one in the Bundesliga, he was a tough player: strong, fast and he has everything to become one of the best in the world”, he stated.
Nicknamed ‘Little Pep’, Guardiola shores up his defense with the center back with the most projection and value at the moment.
