In a rather sensational twist in this year’s summer transfer window, it looks as though a deal is all but done to bring İlkay Gündoğan back to Manchester City.
Barely a year on from leaving the Etihad for nothing last summer, Gündoğan is now on his way back to Man City after just one season with Barcelona and is also set to depart on a free transfer.
Despite being tied to the Nou Camp on paper until 2026, the 33-year-old has been released from Hansi Flick’s side at no cost to City and is expected to sign his comeback contract imminently.
Unsurprisingly, Blues are absolutely buzzing to see the former club favourite on his way back to 0161 and plenty of Barca fans are just as surprised too, with the story developing almost overnight.
As confirmed by the likes of The Athletic‘s Tom Sanderson, the two clubs have reached an agreement for City’s Treble-winning captain and 2023 German Footballer of the Year to return to the fold on a one-year deal with the option to extend for a further 12 months.
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The outlet also confirmed that the remaining two years of his contract in Spain have been rescinded in order to rejoin the Premier League champions as soon as possible, having already been left out of the lineup for the opening game of the season for Barca.
Club president Joan Laporta has effectively been forced to allow the midfielder to leave for free given that his wages as one of the club’s highest earners are simply too much and would have otherwise prevented them from bringing in new signings.
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This seems to be an ongoing dilemma for the Spanish giants who, despite their persistent financial struggles, continue to sign big talents for big money only to find themselves in an even bigger pickle after the fact, sometimes even struggling to register players once deals have already been agreed.
Not that City fans mind one bit, of course; supporters are already dreaming of an immediately improved midfield with Gündoğan and his replacement, Mateo Kovačić, soon set to occupy the middle of the park together and what it could mean for their tactics moving forward.
Gundogan's return makes so much sense emotionally as well as tactically. There are no players who can play 6,8, 10 role better than him. He is such a glue in any of the positions. Vast experience and mentality. Would allow City to pursue Guimaeres next summer. Amazing business.
Arsenal tried to sign Gundogan, he turned them down immediately and personally reached out to man city. Proper City legend ! 🩵 pic.twitter.com/GXCFCyvvhO
Ilkay Gundogan's wife must be furious. After so long trying to get away from Manchester and to sunnier climes with nicer food, she is heading straight back to the city where it always rains. She will have to learn to love chip barms
With first-team star and Euro 2024 winner Rodri set to be out for several months, Gündoğan returning to Man City couldn’t have come at a better or more opportune time for both parties, as his services are needed right away and a regular place is pretty much guaranteed as a loyal servant under Pep Guardiola.
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Gündoğan was Pep’s first signing when he joined the club back in 2016 and helped begin their period of domestic dominance and journey towards a maiden Champions League, so it goes with saying that the two have played a key role in each other’s legacies.
It also said that Guardiola himself was a key factor in City finalising a deal to bring Gündoğan back to the club, with the Catalan coach jumping at the chance to talk with him amid interest from the likes of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Arsenal back in the Premier League.
Elsewhere, former City Academy product turned Chelsea star and now England international Cole Palmer picked up the Young Player of the Year award, whilst Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton picked up the same award in the women’s game following an impressive campaign on loan at Spurs.
Manchester City star Rodri warns that players are ‘close’ to going on strike over too many games
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Rodri has come out to warn that professional footballers could soon go on strike over the number of games they are now playing each year.
The Blues’ Treble and Euro 2024-winning midfielder is one of Pep Guardiola’s most heavily relied-upon squad members and has been absent for the start of the new Premier League campaign thus far, and has once again made his feelings known on the issue of fixture congestion.
Now in what is widely accepted to be the ‘prime years’ of his career, Rodri is only just back in training following an injury in the final between Spain and England back in July; his return to the press conference table saw his addressing the possibility of a potential player strike.
Speaking ahead of Man City’s opening game of this year’s Champions League competition, the 28-year-old said that the number of games in each season is simply becoming “too much”.
"You can play 40-50 games at a top level but not 60-70" 🗣️
Rodri says the increased workload for players in the current schedule is "too much" ⚽ pic.twitter.com/rie3CWKDnL
When asked by a reporter if he believes it will get to a point where players might consider going on strike, he said: “I think we are close to that. I think it’s the general opinion of the players and if it keeps [going] this way, there will be a moment where we have no other option.”
Although Rodri couldn’t give an exact number that he thinks is suitable, he estimated that “40-50” is the top limit for players to keep performing at the highest level, insisting that anything more and you inevitably drop because “it’s impossible to sustain the physical levels.”
The Spanish international, who joined City back in 2019 and has gone on to be part of the greatest period in the now record-breaking side’s history, went on to add: “We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of us because we are the main characters in this sport, this business, whatever you want to call it.”
He also argued that not only is it a worry for players’ fitness and well-being – with the growing number of games being directly correlated to people becoming more injury-prone – but also for the overall entertainment and “the quality of the show.”
Rodri is by no means the only one either; just earlier this past February, the PFA’s (Professional Footballers’ Association) chief executive Maheta Molango said: “For us, we’ve reached a stage where it is not just about the health of the player, it is about us killing the product.” The calls are growing louder.
🚨🔴 Alisson on new Champions League format: “For the supporters, amazing. But sometimes nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games…”.
Naturally, on the other hand, many fans argue that these are professional athletes on hundreds of thousands of pounds a week and, in the case of teams such as Man City, it’s the club’s responsibility to rotate the squad and use youth players so as to manage fatigue and adequate rest.
Rodri’s right: ‘the beautiful game’ is still a business and whether or not the higher-ups see it within their best interests to stem the increasing flow of games for the sake of player welfare and/or the quality of the most televised sport in the world, the narrative isn’t going anywhere and strikes now sound more plausible than ever.
Do you agree — are professional footballers now expected to play too many games?
You can watch an extended look at his press conference and comments on fixture congestion here:
Manchester breaks the all-time Davis Cup attendance record despite GB disappointment
Danny Jones
The 2024 Davis Cup wasn’t to be for Great Britain but Manchester and fans all over the country can still be proud that we did our bit as it has been confirmed that we set an all-time attendance record.
GB crashed out of this year’s tournament on Sunday following Dan Evans’s defeat against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, which sealed a 2-1 loss against the North American visitors and saw the home team fail to progress to the quarter-finals for the second time in three years.
Team captain Leon Smith’s side got off to a winning start in their hard-fought opener against Finland, but after the fatigued were knocked back by Argentina in the second match, it was always going to be a tough task.
Nevertheless, the crowds continued to improve throughout the week after a rallying cry from Smith and it culminated in 15,700 tickets sold for Sunday alone, meaning that a Manchester crowd bigger than Wimbledon’s Centre Court filed into the AO Arena to watch the action.
Record Breaking! 🏆🎾 A new @DavisCup record in Great Britain 🙌 15,700 attendees at the @AOArena 🥳 Thank you everyone for an incredible week of tennis! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/rfLKP6DU0T
What a way to answer the call when the national team needs you – can always count on the Mancs.
Better still, it wasn’t just the closing fixture that surpassed previous feats of attendance: a total of 37,000 sporting spectators turned up to the AO Arena over the course of the six days of play, cementing not only a new record for the arena but in the entire history of the Davis Cup.
With the legendary arena still fairly fresh from its £50m redevelopment, including new state-of-the-art facilities and additions like The Mezz, everyone in attendance was able to soak up the electrifying atmosphere.
Hosting the competition once again after the rousing success of the World Cup of Tennis’ return to Manchester for the first time in 30 years in September 2023, it didn’t disappoint and provided the perfect backdrop for creating global sporting history.
Both the athletes and the supporters inside the arena were on top form from start to finish, with an atmosphere to be very proud of.
By the final day, the atmosphere was incredible. (Credit: Supplied)
Commenting on their new personal record and impressive feat on behalf of the entire Davis Cup and LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the AO commented: “This underscores the arena’s growing reputation as a leading, must-attend and must-play destination for major sporting events and entertainment.
“The milestone also highlights Manchester’s thriving cultural footprint on a truly global scale, and the city’s continued commitment to hosting high-calibre events with enormous success”, they continued.
“The Davis Cup is a tournament renowned for drawing significant global attention and attracting the biggest names in the sport. AO Arena’s record-breaking attendance not only enhances Manchester’s profile on the international sporting stage but is also set to attract further prestigious events to the city.”
Having already proved ourselves as a tennis-loving crowd, we sincerely hope we see the Davis Cup come back to Manchester for yet another visit very soon and GB can rest assured that we’ll be cheering them on every step of the way – we know they’ll come back stronger next time.
🌟DAVIS CUP MANCHESTER…THAT’S A WRAP!🌟
It wasn’t to be for Team GB this year, but another amazing tennis showcase in our city – with a record crowd attendance. Best of luck to all finalists.