Highlights

• Manchester City have signed Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig for a reported fee of €90 million, making him one of the most expensive defenders in Premier League history.
• Gvardiol is a highly rated young defender, with 21 appearances for the Croatian national team and two DFB-Pokal trophies with Leipzig.
• While some expensive Premier League signings have failed to live up to expectations, City fans will hope that Gvardiol proves to be a valuable addition to their squad and helps them achieve further success.

Manchester City might have won the treble last season, but that has not stopped Pep Guardiola from trying to improve his squad. In what is likely to be one of the biggest deals of the summer, the Premier League champions have signed Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.

The Croatian arrives with quite the reputation already. He is rated as one of the most talented young defenders in the world and has already made 21 appearances for his national team.

He has lifted silverware along the way too, including two DFB-Pokal trophies with Leipzig. The centre-back will undoubtedly be looking to get his hands on even more honours during his time in England.

Gvardiol is City’s second acquisition of the transfer window after they purchased Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. But the reported fee for the defender is much higher than what City paid for his compatriot, around £77.6 million.

That fee means that he is one of the most expensive defenders in the division’s history. So, following the move, we have assembled the most expensive Premier League XI of all time, picking out the player who moved for the highest fee in each position for our 4-3-3 formation, using figures provided by Transfermarkt.

The cost of this team is staggering, with clubs spending a combined total of more than €1 billion. But while some footballers in this team have gone on to prove that they are well worth the outlay, others have failed to live up to expectations. City fans will desperately want Gvardiol to fall into the first camp.

The most expensive Premier League XI of all-time

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga | Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea | €80 million

We’re starting with someone who has definitely failed to live up to the hype. Kepa arrived at Stamford Bridge following Thibaut Courtois’ departure but has never been as dependable for Chelsea as the Belgian was.

He lost his spot in the starting lineup following the arrival of Edouard Mendy. And although he reclaimed it last year, he might drop out of the team yet again now that Chelsea have signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton.

Shockingly, he is now linked with a potential move to Bayern Munich, as the Bundesliga champions continue their search for Manuel Neuer's heir.

RB: Joao Cancelo | Juventus to Manchester City | €65 million

At one point, Cancelo was considered one of the league’s best full-backs. The Portuguese defender was excellent going forward for Guardiola’s side, playing an important role in attacking build-up and helping his side lift multiple pieces of silverware in the process.

However, he fell out of the City starting lineup when Guardiola tweaked his formation for the second half of last season. In an attempt to secure more minutes, he joined Bayern Munich on loan in January.

Although he was crowned a Bundesliga champion with the German giants, Cancelo returned to City at the end of the season after Bayern declined to activate their £61 million option to buy the full-back. He is now linked with a move to Barcelona, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he has agreed personal terms with the La Liga champions.

CB: Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig to Manchester City | €90 million

Before City completed a move for the Croatian defender, this spot previously belonged to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, widely considered to be one of the Premier League’s best defenders in recent times.

While it remains to be seen if Gvardiol can perform as well as the Dutchman has over the last few seasons, his performances at the World Cup were enough for Rio Ferdinand to shower him with praise.

“He has got a great presence, he is happy for the battles, very physical and has a wand for a left foot,” he said, per the Metro.

“He has got pace too and I think all those attributes you need as a modern day defender.”

CB: Harry Maguire | Leicester City to Manchester United | €87 million

Maguire’s move to Old Trafford has been nothing short of a disaster. The defender who looked so solid at the back for Leicester and England has looked anything but that for United lately.

He has fallen behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order and also lost the club captaincy this summer. Additionally, fans booed the 30-year-old after his mistake cost United a goal against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

It is hardly where many thought Maguire would end up when he completed the move. His time at United looks set to end soon, with West Ham agreeing a deal worth £30 million for the centre-back.

LB: Marc Cucurella | Brighton to Chelsea | €65.3 million

Chelsea decided to spend a huge sum on Cucurella after the Spaniard’s solid performances for Brighton, but he failed to live up to expectations during his first season at Stamford Bridge.

He failed to convince supporters during his 24 Premier League appearances for the Blues and was even booed by his own fans against West Ham. Hardly a sign that the move has gone well.

The 25-year-old has spoken of his desire to stay at Chelsea but could find minutes hard to come by if Ben Chilwell stays fit throughout the campaign. There is the additional issue of Ian Maatsen returning to the club from a loan spell at Burnley, with Mauricio Pochettino telling the 21-year-old that he wants to keep him at the club as talks over a new contract continue.

CM: Enzo Fernandez | Benfica to Chelsea | €121 million

What a rapid rise Fernandez has had. Signed by Benfica from River Plate in July 2022, he was on the move a few months later after he helped Argentina lift the World Cup.

Chelsea boss Todd Boehly was reportedly so impressed with the 22-year-old’s performances at the competition that he told his recruitment staff to, “get me that man.” And although the Blues had a poor season last year, finishing 12th in the league, Fernandez was one of the bright sparks.

His passing in particular has impressed supporters who watched him every week. With the Blues having a clean slate and a new manager in Pochettino for the upcoming campaign, the World Cup winner could reach even greater heights.

CM: Declan Rice | West Ham United to Arsenal | €116.6 million

Rice spent a decade in east London making a name for himself, rising up through West Ham’s ranks to ultimately lead them to a first major trophy in 43 years.

In that time, he developed into one of the league’s best midfielders. Manchester City did come calling this summer, but he has signed for Arsenal ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The early signs in pre-season have looked promising, with Rice impressing Mikel Arteta while playing in a new role against Monaco. You would imagine that moving from the London Stadium to the Emirates will only allow him to showcase his talents more.

CM: Paul Pogba | Juventus to Manchester United | €105 million

Having lost Pogba on a free transfer in 2012, United spent a fortune to bring the Frenchman back to Old Trafford. He had become one of the most talented midfielders in the world while at Juventus, dominating in Serie A and winning four Scudetti.

But he would never perform as well for the Red Devils as he had managed for the Bianconeri. Sure, there was an impressive patch of form here or there, and Pogba would leave the club having scored 39 times and having provided 51 assists, but there were those who were left disappointed by his efforts.

He re-signed for Juventus on a free transfer once again in 2022 but was limited to just six Serie A appearances last season due to injuries. Now 30 years old, he is a shadow of the player who dominated the Italian league all those years ago.

RW: Antony | Ajax to Manchester United | €95 million

Antony had become an exciting young talent during his time in the Eredivisie, with Erik ten Hag so impressed by his quality at Ajax that he urged United to break the bank so he could be reunited with the Brazilian.

Has it been worth it? It’s tough to say after just one season. The 23-year-old has had some impressive moments during his first year at Old Trafford, scoring eight goals in all competitions for the Red Devils. But he has been inconsistent, and United fans will want him to perform even better in the upcoming campaign.

There have been encouraging signs he will step it up. Two goals and an assist came in United’s pre-season matches against Borussia Dortmund and Lens. Might that be a sign of things to come from the winger?

LW: Jack Grealish | Aston Villa to Manchester City | €117.5 million

After taking a year to settle into life at the Etihad, Grealish returned to his best last season. His output was decent, with five league goals and seven assists to his name, and he looked dangerous for City every time he was on the ball.

The 27-year-old played 50 times for Guardiola’s side last season and was a key presence in the team during their Champions League run. He started every game for City from the Round of 16 until the final against Inter Milan.

If Grealish can help City repeat their success last season, it will only help to justify the huge fee that they paid Aston Villa in 2021.

ST: Romelu Lukaku | Juventus to Chelsea | €113 million

Is this the worst transfer in Premier League history? It’s hard to think of many moves that have gone as badly as this one, let alone worse.

Lukaku’s return to Chelsea was supposed to be the solution to all their striker problems. He had just scored 24 league goals for Inter Milan to fire them to a league title, and the Blues desperately needed a number nine.

But what should have been a perfect match would fall apart in less than a year. Although he started well, the Belgian striker’s controversial TV interview where he complained about life back at Stamford Bridge ultimately led to his return to Inter on loan last season.

Now, the Blues are trying to move him on permanently. Juventus have offered Chelsea Dusan Vlahovic in exchange for Lukaku and a transfer fee, but Pochettino is unconvinced about the Serbian. And to really hammer home how unwanted he is, the 30-year-old was not even given a squad number by the club for the 2023/24 campaign. What a waste of money.