Ilkay Gündogan returns to Manchester City. A round trip for the German midfielder, after his time at Barcelona lasted just one year. The German, 33 years old (he will turn 34 on October 24), agreed with Txiki Begiristain, director of football at the English club, a one-year contract, plus an optional one. In addition, he will have a salary similar to the one he had at Barça, far, in any case, from the succulent economic offer from Qatar.
Last summer, Gündogan arrived at Barça in search of a new challenge. “I felt it was the right thing to do to come here. It was wonderful to be able to show myself that I could play in a different league, in a different country,” he said upon arriving in Barcelona. And things didn’t go badly for him, especially considering his individual performance after Xavi’s team came up empty last season. Gündogan scored five goals and provided 14 assists in 51 games. Numbers that were not enough, at least for Hansi Flick.
The coach and the footballer had been together in the German national team. feeling He was never good at it. That’s why when Flick took over from Xavi, Gündogan frowned. It didn’t take long for the coach to reveal his idea. “You won’t be indispensable in the starting eleven. I have Pedri and Dani Olmo to cover that position,” the coach told him last Thursday, in a talk at the Ciudad Deportiva. That same night, Gündogan phoned Pep Guardiola. “Can I come back?” he asked. Guardiola promised him that he would do everything possible to make his return a reality. This Friday, City made his return to the Etihad Stadium official.
A good deal for City, a financial relief for Barcelona. When Mateu Alemany, the former director of football at Barcelona, signed Gündogan, they agreed a three-year contract. The third year, however, was subject to a number of games that the player had to play for Barça. The German reached that number of games last season, according to those in the offices of the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper. “Players have to leave. One of them could be Gündogan. We don’t rule out his departure,” Barcelona said after securing Olmo’s signing. The problem was that the German didn’t think the same. However, he was beginning to feel the pressure from the club. “He started to hear all kinds of things, that he’s fat, that he’s paid too much, that he’s old,” complained those close to the player.
Without a protective shield from the press or the coaching staff, the best alternative was a friendly exit. Gündogan ruled out taking refuge in Qatar —”I feel competitive,” he said— and agreed with Barcelona to terminate the contract, his weapon to convince Begiristain: City was not willing to pay a transfer fee. Barcelona thought it was right, the main objective of the Catalan club was to save the German’s salary (around 40 million over the next two seasons) and thus win. fair play financial to register Dani Olmo.
The Spaniard’s registration, however, is still up in the air. And Barcelona host Athletic Club this Saturday (19.00, Dazn).
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