The German is leaving Barcelona after just one season – the 33-year-old playmaker has recently been sidelined there.
In his coaching career, Josep Guardiola has not been known to sign players he has worked with before. After spells at FC Barcelona and FC Bayern, the Catalan has been working for Manchester City since 2016. In his career, Guardiola has only coached the Spaniards Thiago Alcantara and Nolito at two different clubs – although he only hired both of them once.
One of Guardiola’s seemingly unalterable transfer rules is not to poach players from his former clubs. But Guardiola makes an exception for Ilkay Gündogan, one of his favorite footballers.
On Friday afternoon, Manchester City confirmed the midfielder’s return, which had been looming this week. Gündogan is returning from FC Barcelona on a free transfer after just one season, having left City in the summer of 2023 when his contract expired.
The temptation to join Barça is too great
A year ago, Gündogan was looking for a new challenge in the autumn of his career. He had just won the Champions League and led the Citizens to a title treble as captain. Despite Guardiola’s efforts to keep him, the 33-year-old decided to move. The attraction of Barcelona, which once played the beautiful short-passing football under Guardiola from 2008 to 2012, which Gündogan has raved about ever since, was simply too great.
However, FC Barcelona, which used to have a reputation for being noble, unfairly dumped him in preparation for this season. The club signed the much younger playmaker Dani Olmo for 55 million euros from RB Leipzig – Gündogan fell out of favor. This was also due to the fact that Barça’s football directors Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff as well as the coach Xavi, who had arranged the transfer with Gündogan, are now all no longer at the club.
It was said that Barça urgently needed to get rid of the experienced Gündogan due to the financial difficulties in order to be able to register the expensive new signing Olmo with the league. In the farewell statement, in which Gündogan underlined how much the short time meant to him, he elegantly noted that his departure would make him a little less sad if it meant helping the club financially.
Gündogan contacts Guardiola
As a way out, Gündogan contacted Guardiola, who was keen to hire him again. One of the reasons was the bond after seven years together in Manchester; Gündogan was the first transfer that Guardiola had made as City coach. It was also no disadvantage that the player fell for Barcelona, Guardiola’s favourite club. And secondly, the midfield strategist’s sporting quality speaks for itself. With the departure of Julián Álvarez, City lost an offensive alternative, which the club can now affordably compensate for.
Gündogan has been given a one-year contract with an option until 2026. Unlike many new City players, who first have to get used to the style of play, Gündogan is an immediate reinforcement. The only difference from a year ago is that the German is no longer the team captain and his previous number 8 shirt has already been taken. But Gündogan never thought about hierarchy anyway. The reduced responsibility might even suit him. He has more time for his family. This is also why he resigned from the German national team in what was a turbulent week for him.
Guardiola’s respect is guaranteed. When asked about his transfer targets at FC Bayern, he once said: “Thiago or nothing!” That could just as well apply to Gündogan.