By Solomon Wise
August, 2024
City has re-signed Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona on a one-year deal with an option for a second year. The German midfielder spent seven good successful seasons at the Etihad Stadium(2016-2023) before moving to Camp Nou (Barcelona) in June 2023 just after helping City to an historic treble victory.
The move to Barcelona only happened through a free transfer which typically occurs when a player’s contract has run down, and they have become a free agent. Gundogan’s return came just after the departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid which is a timely boost for City.
Gundogan was told he was not guaranteed a first-eleven spot under new coach Hansi Flick (Barcelona) and was made available for a transfer. There was interest from Saudi Arabia but he opted to rejoin Man City.
The 33-year-old midfielder won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four league cups, two Community Shields and one UEFA Champions League scoring a total of 60 goals from 304 club appearances. While in Barcelona for a whole season, he played 51 times in all competitions scoring 5 goals and helped the Catalans finish second in La Liga but failed to win a trophy.
Ilkay said “I have returned to the best club in the world” after re-signing for Man City while Pep Guardiola said there was no hesitation when the chance to sign the midfielder came up “It was a complete surprise and unexpected it happened.” Said the manager. Gundogan will wear jersey number 19 behind his back.
Will Gundogan make it the fifth Premier League title in a row for Manchester City?
Solomon Wise is a videographer with over 7 years of experience. When not writing on Respbet he works for various projects in graphics design and videography
