Pep Guardiola has seen a wide range of players join Manchester City since his arrival in 2016.
One, in particular, who has made a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium in recent years is Jeremy Doku.
Signed from Rennes in the 2023 summer transfer window for a fee of £55m, the winger has gone on to make 56 appearances in all competitions.
Across those games, the 22-year-old has scored eight goals, delivered 13 assists and won two major trophies.
Now in the middle of his second season at the Manchester club, Doku has shared some behind-the-scenes details on what Guardiola said to him upon his arrival at City last year.
- Who is Jeremy Doku? Keep up to speed with Man City’s rapid winger
Jeremy Doku shares early Pep Guardiola talks at Man City
Appearing in a recent video alongside Ben Foster on the Amazon Prime Video Sport YouTube channel, Doku was asked to share what Guardiola had said to him when he first signed for City.
In response, the winger gave this insight on the matter.
He said: “That he believed in me. That he believed in me, that I can be important for the team. Obviously he’s not going to say you can start every game, that depends on yourself, it depends on how you work, how you perform.
“But he showed interest and for me that was important.
“For me, it’s important because I want to play and I want to know what my chances are to play and I want to know that my coach knows what I am, knows what my style of play.
“I just wanted to see the interest of my coach and what he expects from me and what he likes from me.
“At the end of the day, it was a project. For me, it was important to talk with the coach and to know what my role was going to be and know what they expect from me.“
Doku said two City players helped him settle in at the club
Remaining on the subject of the winger’s early days at the Manchester club, Doku named two City players who helped him settle at the club, saying this on the matter.
He said: “When I arrived Nathan and Kevin [De Bruyne] were really the ones because obviously my English wasn’t like now, I spoke English but obviously it’s not the same and they speak Dutch so was easier for me.
“But now I speak with everyone and I’m close with everyone I have love for everyone.”
| Jeremy Doku | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played |
| Premier League | 37 | 4 | 11 | 2001 |
| Champions League | 10 | 1 | 2 | 412 |
| FA Cup | 6 | 2 | 0 | 256 |
| Carabao Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
| Community Shield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
This season has seen the Belgium international start eight of the 13 matches he’s appeared in across all competitions, providing two goals and two assists along the way.
Now that Doku has shared how Guardiola said he immediately believed in him and what he could offer his City team, this gives some fresh insight into how the manager welcomes players to the club.
Moving forward, if the winger can continue to deliver for the Blues and start adding more goals and assists to his game, this will be the best way for Doku to repay the faith that Guardiola put in him at the start of his City career.
