German international Ilkay Gundogan has left Manchester City after his contract expired at the club at the end of last season. The 32-year-old opted to sign for Spanish giants Barcelona on a free transfer rather than sign a new deal with the Premier League champions.
Special day. Amazing club. Incredibly proud to be here. Let’s win as much as possible together! Visca el Barça 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/xf0Usyz7cJ
— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) July 17, 2023
Gundogan had a lot of options on the table during the summer, with interest in his services reportedly coming from Saudi Arabia and Arsenal. However, it was Barcelona manager Xavi who persuaded him to move to the Nou Camp.
The midfielder signed for Manchester City from Dortmund in 2016. He spent seven years with the club, making 304 appearances. Gundogan won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup twice, the EFL Cup on four occasions and the Champions League once, with victory in the premier European competition coming in his final season.
One of the many things Gundogan provided his team was goals from midfield. He found the back of the net 38 times in the last three years. His consistent performances meant he was a regular in Guardiola’s team. The Spaniard now must plan for life without the German next season, as it is clearly going to be a blow for him.
Kovacic Signed from Rivals Chelsea
To compensate for losing Gundogan, Manchester City signed Mateo Kovacic from Premier League rivals Chelsea during the transfer window. They paid £25 million for the Croatia international, with £5 million in add-ons being part of the deal.
Kovacic has played in the Premier League since 2018 after initially signing for the Blues on loan from Real Madrid. He made his move permanent a year later, joining the West London club for just over £40 million.
Manchester City’s new midfielder is a player who will play much deeper in midfield than Gundogan used to do. He only scored six goals for Chelsea in 221 appearances for the club, but his pass completion and range of distribution are what he was known for during that period.
City were also thought to be involved in signing Declan Rice from West Ham United during the summer transfer window. The England midfielder eventually completed a move to North London to Arsenal for a British record transfer. City were not prepared to match or better the fee the Gunners offered for the player.
Pep Has Lots of Options in Midfield
Guardiola is not short of options in his squad in his midfield. He will be turning to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Rodri, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish to make up for the loss of Gundogan.
Manchester City’s Rodri named Champions League Player of the Season https://t.co/O59wwfowMj pic.twitter.com/exM0navFDR
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 11, 2023
Rodri was named the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season in City’s success in the European competition. The Spaniard is going into his fifth season with the Premier League champions, and he is a midfielder that Guardiola trusts very much. The 27-year-old started 56 games in all competitions last season, the most by any player in the squad.
The City boss will also be hoping De Bruyne can continue to deliver goals for his team from midfield. Two seasons ago, he scored 19 goals across all competitions, while in the 2022/23 campaign, he hit double figures again, scoring 10 times.
Gundogan’s exit could lead to Phillips getting more opportunities in Guardiola’s starting XI next season. Since his summer move from Leeds in 2022, he has played just 12 times in the Premier League.
Guardiola Will Not Allow Champions to Be Complacent
Despite winning three trophies last season in what was a successful campaign, Guardiola will be pushing his players to achieve more in the 2023/24 campaign. As of the 21st of July, they are the odds-on favourites at 5/6 in the sports betting to defend their Premier League title with Betway. Should they prove successful, they will become the first club in the history of the league to win the title in four consecutive years.
As treble winners, City could only better last season by winning the quadruple next year. They would need to defend all three of their trophies and lift the EFL Cup, a competition they have had a lot of success in.
Manchester City begin the defence of their Premier League title against Burnley on the 11th of August.
