Ilkay Gündoğan bids farewell to his illustrious seven-year tenure at Manchester City, as he embarks on an thrilling new chapter at Barcelona following a free switch settlement on Monday.
The German midfielder’s ultimate act as a City participant, adorned with the captain’s armband, was to hoist the Champions League trophy, thereby sealing a rare treble of main titles for the English membership.
Now, Gündoğan units his sights on Spain, embracing a contemporary expertise with a two-year contract, regardless of Pep Guardiola’s want to retain the providers of the 32-year-old maestro, who marked the City supervisor’s inaugural signing in 2016.
Barcelona, having missed out on securing the return of Lionel Messi, prioritized the acquisition of Gündoğan to infuse worthwhile expertise into their midfield, which already boasts burgeoning abilities Pedri and Gavi as pillars for the long run.
This transition arrives amid the departure of veteran chief Sergio Busquets from the membership.
Despite the membership’s makes an attempt to dump him within the 2022 offseason, Frenkie de Jong performed a pivotal position below Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez final season, solidifying his place within the crew.
Gündoğan’s arrival coincides with Barcelona’s ongoing monetary struggles, burdened by mounting debt and the arduous process of complying with the Spanish league’s monetary rules.
The current official registration of Gavi as a first-team participant represents a step in direction of stability, however it’s broadly anticipated that the membership might want to make participant gross sales to alleviate their monetary obligations.
Consequently, Gündoğan’s signing could contribute to this burden, except offset by corresponding departures.
While Barcelona resorted to promoting a portion of their future tv revenues and different belongings to safe the funds for final 12 months’s signings, together with Robert Lewandowski, the membership’s monetary predicament has more and more necessitated the pursuit of free brokers prepared to hitch their ranks.
Notable examples embrace the present gamers Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, and Franck Kessie, who arrived on free transfers.
Additionally, free brokers like Memphis Depay have made fleeting appearances in recent times.
Reportedly, Manchester City solely provided Gündoğan a one-year deal, whereas the midfielder sought an extended contract to make sure stability for his household.
Gündoğan’s legacy as a City icon extends past his captaincy throughout the crew’s most triumphant season.
His essential targets and awe-inspiring performances within the midfield, seamlessly transitioning between a box-to-box position, an anchorman, and his favored place as a supporting participant for the striker, have etched his title in City folklore.
None had been extra pivotal than the 2 targets he scored to orchestrate City’s dramatic comeback from a 2-0 deficit in opposition to Aston Villa on the ultimate day of the 2021-22 season, clinching yet one more league title for the crew.
Arriving at Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund, the place he was topped a Bundesliga champion in 2012, Gündoğan went on to amass a formidable assortment of silverware.
His accolades embrace 5 Premier League titles, two FA Cups, 4 English League Cups, and the coveted Champions League trophy.
Now, the gifted midfielder finds himself at a membership that claimed the Spanish league title final season however confronted disappointment for a second consecutive marketing campaign, faltering of their quest to progress past the group section of the Champions League.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
