Kyle Walker signs for Manchester City in world-record £53m deal for a defender

Kyle Walker is now the world’s most expensive defender after Manchester City completed a deal with Tottenham worth an initial £50m rising to £53m for the England right back. With the add-ons the transfer eclipses the £50m Paris St-Germain paid for Chelsea’s David Luiz in 2014 and also ensures Walker has become the costliest English player of all time.

“It feels a bit surreal,” the former Sheffield United defender admitted. “I have been at Tottenham for so many years , but I’m excited about beginning a new chapter in my career. I can’t wait to get started. I’m thrilled to be signing for City.

“With the size of the club, we need to go on and pick up silverware, get trophies left, right and centre, and hopefully that can add to my CV because I haven’t won that many things so far in my career. Tottenham was a great club, it helped me to get me to where I am now. I’ve learned a lot, especially under Mauricio Pochettino, he’s been fantastic with me.

“But sometimes your path isn’t there and you have to move on and what a place to come and take a different path. Just win trophies - that’s all I’m about and all I want to do.”

Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, added: “Kyle is a fine full-back, one capable of producing quality at both ends of the pitch. We’ve followed his progress at Tottenham and have been really impressed by how he has developed. He is now one of the best right-backs in the Premier League and justifiably an England regular. I am sure he will be a success at Manchester City this season and beyond.”

There is no doubt City have captured one of the best attacking full backs around, Walker’s assists were invaluable in helping Spurs secure second place last season, though as is normally the case Daniel Levy drove a hard bargain and made sure his club received top dollar. An initial £50m is rather a lot for a 27-year-old player, even if David Luiz was at a similar age when he moved from London to Paris. Eyebrows were raised all over Europe at that deal, PSG were thought to have paid well over the odds, and even allowing for three years of inflation Walker’s price is significantly higher than the £40m City originally wanted to pay.

Yet Levy rarely achieves anything less than full market value, and having moved out three full-backs this summer City were hardly in a position to argue once Dani Alves snubbed Pep Guardiola’s advances in favour of a move to PSG. City needed to act decisively and they have done. Walker joins them in time to take part in their United States tour, and while a deal for Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy is unlikely to be tied up as quickly, City are still pursuing what could be another expensive solution to fill their vacant left back slot.

Walker is pleased to be moving back north, he knows Fabian Delph from his time in Yorkshire and John Stones and Raheem Sterling from international duty with England. Raised on a Sheffield council estate, Walker first rose to prominence with the Blades, and apart from loan spells at Northampton, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa has been at Tottenham since 2010, when he was bought with fellow defender Kyle Naughton for a joint fee of £9m.

“When I first went down to London it was difficult, I was homesick,” he explained. “I hadn’t really been away from Sheffield before but after a couple of years I got used to it and stopped going back. My missus is a Sheffield girl though, she will be happy to be moving back north, and so will my mum. There was a moment of silence when I told her on the phone, then I heard crying and laughing. I’m her only child and she’s going to be seeing a lot more of me.”

Though Guardiola is known to be a fan of attacking full-backs in general and Walker in particular, the player has not yet had a detailed discussion with his new manager. “What a manager to work under!” he said. “I’m a little bit nervous, I’m not going to lie. I haven’t had a deep conversation with him yet but he is very positive. He says I’m going to fit into his style of play really well.”

Walker enjoys the attacking side of the game, taking particular satisfaction from helping set up so many goals, though does not wish to be regarded as anything other than a member of the back line. “I’m a defender, that’s first and foremost,” he said. “Attacking is a big part of my game though, and if I can contribute something offensively that’s going to be a positive for the team, it could give us an extra edge. I’m sure I can learn a lot from a manager like Pep Guardiola, I just want to be the best player I can be, I am at a good age and probably at the peak of my career.”