Summary
Pep Guardiola has managed some of Europe’s best football clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
The Spanish manager has achieved unprecedented success, but not without considerable expense.
Jack Grealish is Guardiola’s most expensive signing ever, joining Manchester City from Aston Villa for £100 million.
Pep Guardiola is widely recognised as one of the best coaches of all time. There are several debates on the internet about whether he is the greatest, but it is impossible to deny that the Catalan has had – and continues to have – a profound influence on the way football is played.
Indeed, it is not surprising that his peers frequently acknowledge him when discussing their sources of inspiration. From his early days on the Barcelona bench to his Premier League supremacy and Bundesliga heroics, the former midfielder has won it all in his career.
These achievements are the result of a thorough tactical approach and players who can carry out all of his expectations. Many of the latter were purchased at a considerable cost in order for him to develop a squad that is increasingly aligned with his game plans. To get a better picture, these are the 12 most costly signings in Guardiola’s history.
The 12 most expensive Pep Guardiola signings ever.
Rank
Player
From
To
Transfer fees
1.
Jack Grealish
Aston Villa
Manchester City
£100m
2.
Josko Gvardiol
RB Leipzig
Manchester City
£77.6m
3.
Ruben Dias
SL Benfica
Manchester City
£65m
4.
Rodri
Atlético Madrid
Manchester City
£62.5m
5.
Riyad Mahrez
Leicester City
Manchester City
£60m
6.
Joao Cancelo
Juventus
Manchester City
£60m
7.
Omar Marmoush
Eintracht Frankfurt
Manchester City
£59m
8.
Aymeric Laporte
Athletic Club
Manchester City
£57.2m
9.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Inter Milan
Barcelona
£56.5m
10.
Jeremy Doku
Stade Rennais
Manchester City
£55.5m
11.
Matheus Nunes
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City
£53m
12.
Erling Haaland
Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City
£52m
12Erling Haaland – £52m
Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City
Erling Haaland is possibly Manchester City’s most successful signing in recent years. The Norwegian, known as a cold-blooded goalscorer at all of his previous teams, left Borussia Dortmund for Manchester City at the start of the summer of 2022. And to suggest that his introduction to English football has had an earthquake-like impact is no exaggeration.
After scoring 36 goals in 35 Premier League matches in his debut season, the centre-forward went on to score an incredible 27 goals in 31 games in his second season. Winner of the 2023 Champions League following another incredible season (12 goals in 11 games), the 24-year-old is far from finished terrorising rival defences – and may attempt to smash some records that no one expects to be broken.
11Matheus Nunes – £53m
Wolverhampton Wanderers to Manchester City
Matheus Nunes holds the distinction of being the most expensive recruit in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ history (£38 million, now surpassed by Matheus Cunha, who cost £44 million) as well as their most expensive sale.
After joining Wolves from Sporting CP in the summer of 2022, the Portuguese midfielder quickly piqued Guardiola’s interest, and he had no trouble in convincing his management to spend £53 million to secure his services the following year. It was a pricey signing for a player who faced great competition in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, having made only 19 Premier League appearances (nine starts) in 2023/24.
10Jeremy Doku – £55.5m
Stade Rennais to Manchester City
It was a profile that appeared to be severely missing at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Jeremy Doku, a speedy, whirling, and provocative winger, quickly pleased his Catalan coach. ‘The way he played today, I haven’t seen anything like it in a long time,’ he stated following a match against West Ham in early September 2023.
Despite not always being a starter (20 in all competitions), the 22-year-old Belgian made 43 appearances for the Skyblues in his first season in England, posting a more-than-promising record of six goals and ten assists while posing a constant threat to opposing defences.
9Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £56.5m
Inter Milan to Barcelona
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to Barcelona was unquestionably one of the most dramatic in history. For one simple reason: the Swedish striker was not the only one engaged. In fact, it was part of a XXL exchange deal with Samuel Eto’o, who had starred for the Catalans the previous season before joining Internazionale for a cost of £56.5 million.
It was a watershed moment with far-reaching consequences, with the Italians eliminating the Spanish side in the quarter-finals of the 2009/10 Champions League just a few months later. Ironically, Eto’o scored his second hat-trick in a row, but Ibrahimovic had a more challenging season.
8Aymeric Laporte – £57.2m
Athletic Club to Manchester City
Aymeric Laporte, a versatile defender, departed Athletic Club in January 2018 to become Manchester City’s then-most expensive recruit (as well as the biggest sale in Bilbao’s history), blowing out his £57.2 million release clause.
After winning the English league title six months after moving to the UK, the now-Spanish international went on to win five more with the Skyblues, as well as a Champions League, a European Super Cup, and eight domestic titles. After joining Al-Nassr in the summer of 2023, he made 180 appearances under Pep Guardiola, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists.
7Omar Marmoush – £59m
Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City
Although he has been on the professional stage for some years, the summer of 2023 remains possibly the most significant turning point in Omar Marmoush’s career. After struggling to shine in the 2022/23 season with Wolfsburg, the Egyptian was transferred to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he eventually took off.
After finishing the 2023/24 season with 17 goals and six assists in 41 appearances across all competitions, he got off to a fast start the next season, scoring 34 times (20 goals, 14 assists) in 27 games. More than enough to convince Manchester City to commit almost £59 million (excluding bonuses) to bring him to the Etihad Stadium. He scored an incredible hat-trick against Newcastle United on his second game at this stadium.
6Joao Cancelo – £60m
Juve to Manchester City
Joao Cancelo, who trained at SL Benfica and previously played for Valencia and Inter Milan, joined Juventus in July 2018 and rapidly established himself. So much so that a season later, Manchester City opted to go all out to sign the Portuguese attacking full-back. In August 2019, he departed Italy for England in a £60 million transaction (£27.4 plus Danilo’s move to the Vecchia Signora), setting an all-time record for a right-back.
Although he struggled to make an effect in his first year, he quickly established himself as a dominant force in the years that followed. Guardiola was impressed by his adaptability, and he utilised him as an inside midfielder when his team had the ball to ensure better control. Unfortunately, the two men’s friendship soured, and the Portuguese became undesirable in the eyes of his coach, who sent him out on loan to Bayern Munich and subsequently Barcelona.
5Riyad Mahrez – £60m
Leicester City to Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez was a crucial component in Leicester’s unlikely Premier League title quest in 2015/16, when he was also named to the coveted PFA Player of the Year list, before joining Manchester City in the summer of 2018. The £60 million trade was the biggest in Skyblues history.
Despite not being a first-team starter in his first few seasons at Etihad Stadium, the Algerian has progressively established himself as a world-class right-winger. After making 134 key appearances in 236 games with the Cityzens, the player trained at Le Havre, France, and went on to win four Premier League titles (he is the most successful African player in the history of the English league), a Champions League, and two FA Cups.
4Rodri – £62.5m
Atletico Madrid to Manchester City
Rodri, like many of the players who currently play for Manchester City, is one of the world’s best at his position. The former Atletico Madrid player is often regarded as the best sentinel in the world, serving as a veritable control tower and metronome for Manchester City’s midfield.
He has a fantastic capacity to project, therefore he knows how to excel in this job when the occasion demands it. The proof is in his numerous crucial goals at the end of critical games, notably the one that secured Manchester City’s first Champions League title in 2023.
3Ruben Dias – £65m
SL Benfica to Manchester City
Ruben Dias rose to fame with his native club SL Benfica before joining Manchester City in 2020 for a cost of around £65 million. The Portuguese soon established himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
So much so that he was crowned FWA Footballer of the Year, Manchester City’s Player of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season at the completion of his first season in new colours, 2020/21. Three years later, at the age of 27, he is one of the world’s top centre-backs, having contributed significantly to the Skyblues’ recent title wins.
2Josko Gvardiol – £77.6m
RB Leipzig to Manchester City
For one week, before Moises Caicedo signed for Chelsea, Josko Gvardiol held the record for the most expensive move in Premier League history for an under-21 player. After making his mark at RB Leipzig, the Croatian defender signed for Manchester City in August 2023 for £77.6 million.
A massive investment in one of the most exciting young players on the planet. In his first season in England, the Zagreb-born defender played 42 games across all competitions, carving out a place for himself in a busy team and proving crucial at key occasions.
1Jack Grealish – £100m
Aston Villa to Manchester City
Jack Grealish, one of the most expensive Premier League deals ever (£100 million), is Manchester City’s most pricey addition. The left winger was signed from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, but he has yet to impress analysts.
After failing in his first season, he had a much more promising campaign in 2022/23 before falling short again in the final season. His uneven performances also contributed to a reduction in his playing time, with only 10 starts in the Skyblues’ whole 2023/24 season. Although he was not chosen to play in Euro 2024, he will undoubtedly want to remind the world of his potential in the 2024/2025 season.
