What Mateo Kovacic told Josko Gvardiol before Man City transfer

Josko Gvardiol didn't need to lean on Croatian international teammate Mateo Kovacic for advice before deciding to join Manchester City - but the midfielder did share his positive first impressions of the Blues dressing room.

Kovacic joined from Chelsea for £25m at the start of the summer, before Gvardiol became the second signing this week for £77.5m. The pair are teammates for Croatia, helping their country secure third place at the 2022 World Cup.

Gvardiol admitted that Kovacic was a factor in joining City, but admitted that he didn't need to ask for advice until the move was confirmed, as he always knew he wanted to move to the Etihad.

When he did catch up with Kovacic, though, the former Chelsea man only had positive words to say about his first impressions of their new teammates.

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“I don’t need him to tell me," Gvardiol said, outlining some of Kovacic's qualities that City can benefit from this season.

"Everyone knows and everyone wants to be a part of this club, so once you have the opportunity, you’re going to take it. I spoke with him about the team, and he said he really likes it and for sure we’re going to enjoy it.

“First of all, as a person he’s a really nice guy. He’s always there to help you. On the pitch he’s a fantastic player with amazing control and I would say one of the fastest players with the ball. He will always give his best and give everything on the pitch.”

Gvardiol also opened up on his experiences of playing against City in the Champions League for the past two seasons. City and RB Leipzig shared two entertaining group stage games in 2021/22, before Gvardiol scored in a 1-1 draw in Germany in last season's last-16 first leg.

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