Manchester City now look set to complete a huge signing in RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol in the coming days, who will become City’s second arrival of the summer.
Mateo Kovacic arrived earlier in the window, but Gvardiol will now hog the limelight, with Kovacic’s international teammate arriving for around £78m.
He will become the sixth player that Pep Guardiola has signed from the German Bundesliga since his arrival at City in 2016, and if the other five are anything to go by, he could become a resounding success at the Etihad Stadium.
We’ve listed the other five, and it’s safe to say that Pep likes shopping in the German market, given the sheer quality coming from there.
Ilkay Gundogan
Guardiola’s first signing as City boss, Gundogan was arguably his finest signing of them all. The midfielder joined for £21m from Borussia Dortmund, won every trophy possible in 304 appearances, scored some crucial goals and became club captain before joining Barcelona this summer.
Signings don’t get much better than Gundogan, ever.
Leroy Sane
The winger arrived as a young sensation from Schalke in the same summer as Gundogan, and quickly became one of the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League.
Sane arrived for £37m, tore England apart, but left to join Bayern Munich in 2020. Some may argue that his best form came under Guardiola’s guidance at City.
Stefan Ortega
Despite the success of Gundogan and Sane, it would be five years before City bought from Germany again, bringing Arminia Bielefeld’s goalkeeper in on a free transfer.
It was a signing that may have passed under the radar, but Ortega was one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga prior to his arrival, and he has shown in his appearances as Ederson’s understudy that he is capable of stepping in for the Brazilian.
Erling Haaland
Any question marks about the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s ability to have an impact in England were silenced almost immediately after his arrival.
53 games, 52 goals, nine assists and the treble. Worth every penny.
Manuel Akanji
Eyebrows were raised when City went back to Dortmund after buying Haaland to grab Akanji later on in the window last year, but he has proven to be one of Pep’s most astute signings.
Akanji joined for just £15m after a fairly quiet season at Dortmund, but adapted to City’s system almost instantly, with his versatility proving particularly useful, and he has quickly become a fan favourite at the club.
An unexpected, but unbelievable signing.
