‘Surname dekhke player le liya’ – Fans react as Manchester City completes signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig

Premier League champions Manchester City completed their second signing of the transfer window as they announced the arrival of Josko Gvardiol from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. The reported transfer fee is 90 million euros which makes him the second most expensive defender in history behind Manchester United’s Harry Maguire. Earlier, City had signed the Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea making Gvardiol their second signing as well as the second Croatian signing. The center-back will wear the 24 shirt in the Etihad.

“Manchester City are delighted to confirm the signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig on a five-year deal,” a club statement said. “The 21-year-old becomes the second signing of the summer transfer window ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, following in the footsteps of fellow Croatian international Mateo Kovacic.”

‘What a beautiful surname he has!’ – Pep Guardiola on Josko Gvardiol

“It feels good to be part of this team,” Gvardiol told the club’s official website. “I decided to join City and to become part of this club and learn from the best and of course, to be coached by the best coach in the world.” The former Bundesliga man did acknowledge the Erling Haaland factor at City. He said, “It’s nice to have him on my side now – last season and in the Bundesliga, he was a tough player. Luckily, I don’t have to worry about him anymore!”

“We are very happy to bring Josko to Manchester City,” said the club’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain. “He is a player we have watched closely, and we feel he has a superb set of attributes. Top clubs all over Europe have been monitoring him, so to bring him here is great news for us.” Earlier, City boss Pep Guardiola had already cleared the air around the speculations for a probable transfer for Gvardiol. The treble-winning manager said, “Regarding Gvardiol – what a beautiful surname he has – he’s doing a medical test,” Guardiola said. “Everybody knows he’s here, and hopefully we can finish the deal in the next hours, the next days.”

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/ElhadjiKandji1/status/1687759901039222785

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