After one yr at Barcelona, Ilkay Gundogan has left Catalonia to return to Manchester Metropolis, dealing a big blow to Hansi Flick’s squad forward of the 2024/25 marketing campaign.
It was solely final yr that Gundogan left Metropolis, a membership he received 14 trophies with in simply seven years, to hitch Barcelona beneath the administration of Xavi Hernandez. The Catalans have been the reigning La Liga champions, and had hopes of going back-to-back for the primary time in practically a decade.
Monetary struggles, entrance workplace drama, and lackluster performances on the pitch made Gundogan’s first La Liga season a far cry from the success he skilled within the Premier League. The 33-year-old seemed primed to assist his new supervisor problem Actual Madrid for the Spanish crown, however in a surprising determination, he’ll return again to Pep Guardiola’s squad on a free switch.
Now, Barcelona should face a future with out the midfielder as they embark on their 2024/25 La Liga marketing campaign.
Gundogan’s departure leaves Hansi Flick with out certainly one of Barcelona’s most constant midfielders from final season. The previous German worldwide made 51 appearances throughout all competitions, and recorded 5 objectives and 13 assists.
The lack of depth will harm Flick’s workforce within the long-run. Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are sidelined with accidents, and Pedri can be simply getting back from a knee drawback of his personal. Now, with out Gundogan to shore-up an already younger, injury-prone midfield, Barcelona could possibly be left in a foul spot as their schedule and competitors picks up.
Within the grand scheme of Barcelona’s strongest workforce, although, the midfielder is not going to go away an irreplaceable gap in Flick’s XI. Certain, Gundogan’s expertise and consistency can be missed, however the brand new supervisor is totally leaning into the youthful expertise on his workforce, led by Euro 2024 breakout star, Lamine Yamal.
In reality, 17-year-old Marc Bernal acquired the nod within the midfield alongside 20-year-old Marc Casado in opposition to Valencia on the weekend, and each gamers have been instrumental in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory to kick off the 2024/25 La Liga season.
The abundance of younger stars on Barcelona finally lowered the worth of Gundogan’s place on the squad, particularly when his switch freed up sufficient capital to lastly register blockbuster signing Dani Olmo with La Liga.
Regardless of the off-field antics, the long run at Barcelona may be very vivid, they usually have all of the items essential to problem Carlo Ancelotti’s Actual Madrid this season, even with out Gundogan.
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