The boss was asked at Friday’s press conference when it was he knew he wanted to sign he Villa skipper and he admitted it hadn’t taken him long to realise he would be perfect for his team.
FA COMMUNITY SHIELD: TICKETS ON SALE
“It was the first time I saw him playing,” said Pep. “Years ago, when I saw him for the first time.
“Sometimes it’s not possible, you have the squad, you have to invest in other parts of the team which are weaker but especially when I saw him on TV, I said this guy controls the tempo I love when he has the ball he stops before the dribble and the opponent stops as well.
“He controls the tempo when he accelerates and decelerates. Especially when I saw him when we played Aston Villa, the physicality, the mentality.
“I liked many things we saw, that’s why we tried, especially Txiki, Txiki was completely in love with him so that’s why we decided to try. We could do it because we could sell, otherwise Jack would still be a Villa player.
“We believe that he will be perfect for us and for the age, quality plus he is English. I’m sure he will be an incredible player for the national team and we’re delighted to have him with us.”
Pep added his England team-mates will ensure he settles quickly and that at City, he will have the perfect platform to kick on to the next level.
“He has many mates from the national team,” he said. We will create the best environment for him to express his incredible talent on the pitch every three days.
“He has to prove it to himself, he comes from a team who plays once a week and he will play three times a week, it’s a bit different but I’m pretty sure he’s able to do it.”
The Catalan admitted there may be one more signing this summer, but whether there are any additions or not, he is more than happy with the squad he has.
“Signings? Maybe one but no more than that,” said Pep. ”Like everybody knows everything is difficult today because of the pandemic and for many reasons, so we’ll see what happens.
“But if we had to stay with the squad, even without Jack or any player, we’d be great, because we can’t forget we made maybe the best season ever at this Club last season - one of the best for sure - with these players, and the players are fantastic all of them, only we believe when we win is when we have to change.
“Players want more minutes, I understand completely and if they aren’t satisfied, if we can’t give it to them they’ll find it in another place, but if it’s not possible they will stay, they’re professional and will do the best for this Club.”
