Topics: Josko Gvardiol, Manchester City, Arsenal, FA Community Shield
The Croatian superstar, who became the second-most expensive defender in history on the back of this move, completed his transfer before the upcoming Community Shield.

It is official. Josko Gvardiol is a Manchester City player, with the Premier League champions announcing the signing of the Croatian superstar from RB Leipzig on Saturday.

The English giants had been pursuing the 21-year-old, who shined at the 2022 FIFA World Cup irrespective of that one unfortunate run-in with Lionel Messi, for some time but ran into roadblocks with his former Bundesliga employers over the transfer fee.

However, the Cityzens finally reached an agreement just days before the Community Shield showdown with Arsenal, striking a $98.6M agreement for the Croatian to make him the second-most expensive defender in history – behind Manchester United's Harry Maguire.

Gvardiol's arrival had been all but confirmed. However, Manchester City still managed to create excitement around this signing by announcing his arrival with a brilliant video.

In a clip posted on the treble winners' official Twitter page, Pep Guardiola can be seen writing his surname on the tactics board. However, after inspecting his tablet, the Spaniard alters the spelling — he changes the "u" to a "v" and removes the letter "a" at the end — to change "Guardiola" to "Gvardiol".

Lo and behold, the man watching all of this unfold through his phone is none other than Josko, who later rotates on his chair to face the camera and smile, thus announcing his arrival at the Etihad Stadium. Check out the video in the tweet below.

Gvardiol's arrival not only turns Pep's solid defense into an impenetrable back-four, but he will also help the English champions cope with the potential exits of Aymeric Laporta and Kyle Walker, with the latter favoring a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

However, fans eager to see him make his Manchester City debut this weekend will be disappointed. Despite completing his move before Sunday, the Croatian talent will not be available for the upcoming showdown with Arsenal at Wembley.

The Community Shield, which will be aired exclusively on ESPN+ for fans in the USA, will see Manchester City renew their rivalry with last season's Premier League runners-up. Pep got the better of his former assistant both home and away in 2022/23 and will be looking to repeat this feat ahead of the 2023/24 kick-off.