LIVE
...

Follow us on

News

Manchester City sign Ilkay Gundogan from Dortmund – Twitter reacts

Jack Linley
Jack Linley

As Pep Guardiola’s reign at Manchester City starts to come into full effect, they recently announced the signing of Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund. The German international has been near the top of the shopping list for many of Europe’s elite clubs over the past few years, so for City to secure his signature for a fairly low fee; believed to be in the region of £21 million, is something of a coup. With a contract of four years, Gundogan is set to be a force in the Citizens’ midfield for some time to come.

Having been plagued by injury problems over the last 18 months or so, this has put some potential suitors off the technically gifted midfielder, but when fit and firing, he certainly is one of the finest exponents in the European game. This latest issue – a knee injury – has kept him from appearing at Euro 2016, for he would have been a sure inclusion but for being side-lined.

One of the most apt comparisons would be to Luka Modric, as Ilkay Gundogan is exceptionally comfortable in possession of the ball, likes to dictate play from a deeper role, but is also a creative threat in advanced areas of the pitch, being more than capable of sliding through an intelligent pass.

The future of Yaya Touré under Pep Guardiola at The Etihad is far from certain, so the addition of Gundogan makes perfect sense. Whilst not lacking energy himself, the former Dortmund midfielder’s chief talents come to the surface when he is on the ball, and so he could be a terrific beneficiary of a midfield partnership with the dynamic Fernandinho.

Gundogan is adaptable in his positional play, but is probably most suited to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, likely to be Pep’s preferred options too. Operating primarily a little deeper than either David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne, he can remove some of the creative burden from the pair, guaranteeing a high quality pass into their feet once they have found space around the box.

Although the rest of the Premier League teams and their supporters are sure to enjoy basking in the brilliance of Ilkay Gundogan over 2016/17, it does give City a tremendous boost for the season ahead. With the German added to their ranks and Pep at the helm, they must fancy their chances.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the news:

Ilkay Gundogan, himself, was quick to get in on the action, with this witty post:

Most saw the transfer as an excellent piece of business for the Manchester club:

http://twitter.com/GF_Journo/status/738358683105677312

Others were slightly more critical:

Some made reference to the player’s injury history, but the majority believe he will overcome these an excel:

http://twitter.com/ChunkyXL/status/738358930808655872

http://twitter.com/FutbolFinn/status/738052459348824064

Some quoted the statistics:

http://twitter.com/City_Watch/status/738293943612366849

Others pondered the future of Thomas Tuchel’s Dortmund side:

http://twitter.com/DanielKaPuiLau/status/738358809803010048

Featured Image: All rights reserved by