Man City announce midfielder Gvardiol
In a video posted on Man City's Twitter page today, August 5, coach Pep Guardiola writes on the whiteboard in the dressing room the words "Guardiola", then changes the u into a v, then deletes the a at the end. The text turned into "Gvardiol", then the video showed the 21-year-old Croatian midfielder smiling. "Welcome Josko," Man City wrote.
Gvardiol in Croatian means guard, similar to "guardiola" in Spanish. Even the Croatian name Josko is derived from Josep - Guardiola's name in Latin. In the press conference on August 4, Guardiola also joked that the new Man City has a very beautiful name.
According to Athletic, Man City had to pay Leipzig 90 million euros ($99 million) for Gvardiol's transfer fee, making him the second most expensive defender in history after Harry Maguire's $102 million. He signed a five-year contract with Man City, valid until the summer of 2028.
"Anyone who watched Man City last season knows this is the strongest club in the world," Man City homepage quoted Gvardiol. "My family is proud because I will be playing for the club that won three titles last season. I am also happy to have the opportunity to work with coach Guardiola, because I know I can improve even more thanks to him."
Gvardiol was born on January 23, 2002 in Zagreb, grew up with his hometown club Dinamo. Becoming the club's mainstay at the age of 18, he caught the eye of Leipzig and was recruited by this club for a transfer fee of 21 million USD. The 1.85-meter-tall centre-back played prominently in the Bundesliga, but his value skyrocketed thanks to his performances at the 2022 World Cup with Croatia. Gvardiol is considered the best defender in the tournament, despite being surpassed by Lionel Messi in the semi-finals. He entered the World Team of the Year in 2022 voted by IFFHS.
Appreciating Gvardiol's talent, Man City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain said: "He possesses all the skills needed by a central defender, which are speed, aerial ability, passing, confidence. courage and fighting spirit. Gvardiol is also left-footed and necessary for the current Man City defence."
Gvardiol is Man City's second rookie in the summer of 2023, after compatriot Mateo Kovacic. In the opposite direction, Guardiola had to part with defender Benjamin Mendy, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez. The Spaniard said that maybe Man City will continue to shop.
Man City currently has three right-footed central defenders, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji, and three left-footed central defenders Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Gvardiol. However, Laporte is likely to leave the team on loan or sell off, alongside full-backs like Joao Cancelo or Kyle Walker. Last season, Man City succeeded at the end of the season when Guardiola used a defense of four central defenders, in which Stones often played as a midfielder.
