Manchester City sign Josko Gvardiol for £77.6m: Decoding his stats
Manchester City have completed the signing of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol for £77.6m. He becomes the most expensive defender for City, beating Ruben Dias's £65m move from Benfica in 2020 and Aymeric Laporte's £57m move from Athletic Club in January 2018. 21-year-old Gvardiol is widely regarded as one of the top center-backs in Europe and he will bolster City's defensive unit.
Why does this story matter?
Gvardiol is a left-footed defender and will aid City in their central defensive partnerships. City have assembled a world-class defensive unit and a costly one as well. Gvardiol brings technical skills, physical presence, and a mature mentality. He can provide line-breaking forward passes with a gifted vision. Gvardiol has also impressed with his national team Croatia, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Gvardiol's career stats
Gvardiol started his career with Dinamo Zagreb, making 52 appearances across two seasons and scoring two goals. He then made 88 appearances for Leipzig in all competitions across two seasons, scoring five times. He made 59 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Breaking down Gvardiol's Bundesliga 2022-23 season in numbers
Gvardiol made 30 appearances in the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, scoring once. As per Opta, out of his 13 shots (excluding blocks), four of them were on target. He created 12 chances and had an 89.29% pass accuracy. Gvardiol made 23 tackles and completed 17 take-ons. He won 43 aerial duels and 53 ground duels. He made 70 clearances, 34 interceptions, and 17 blocks.
Gvardiol has enjoyed notable success so far
Gvardiol has won two DFB-Pokal honors with Leipzig. Besides, he has also won four trophies with Zagreb. He also helped Croatia finish third at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, winning the bronze medal.
