New Manchester City signing Manuel Akanji is excited by the prospect of playing for manager Pep Guardiola.
The Swiss defender completed his move to City from Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, penning a five-year contract until the summer of 2027.
City have won four of the last five English titles under the guidance of Guardiola, playing a brand of football revered the world over.
“I knew last year when I was at Borussia Dortmund that I wanted to make the next step in my career,” he said.
“I wanted to get better. Now moving here to Manchester City under the command of Pep Guardiola, it can’t get better than that.
“The combination of the coach and the club is perfect for me.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him and the rest of the coaching staff and my teammates.”
Akanji admits the deal came as something of a surprise but says it was an opportunity he could not miss.
“I’m really proud and really happy to be here,” he said.
“It was a bit unexpected in the last stage of the transfer market, but when Manchester City asked me if I wanted to come here, I had no doubts about moving here.
“I know the quality of this team. I’m here to prove myself as well. I want to show everyone that they were right in choosing me.”
Akanji is happy to be reunited with former BVB teammate Erling Haaland.
“He has an amazing combination of skills,” Akanji said.
“He is fast and physically very strong, but he is also technically skillful.
“With the combination of both, he is a striker very difficult to stop.
“The way he uses his body makes him very hard to stop him.
“He keeps on working on his skills, he is still young and has so many years in front of him, but I think he will only get better.”
