Ilkay Gundogan Signs New Manchester City Contract

On the eve of the new Manchester City season, important news has emerged from the club concerning a key player.

When Pep Guardiola made Ilkay Gundogan his very first signing at Manchester City, joining back in July 2016, no one quite understood why. That’s not to say he was not a good player at his previous club Borussia Dortmund, but rather why was this particular player singled out by Pep?

Adding a key midfielder around whom a team could be built seemed a priority to such an extent much of the deal was apparently concluded whilst Pep was still at Bayern Munich. There were some injury concerns which marred some of his time in Germany, but this quick thinking and nimble footballer seemed a good fit for Pep.

In his first season at City, Gundogan looked increasingly like the key element we had been missing. Rolling around the ball with ease he enjoyed some fantastic box to box games culminating in the thrilling 3:1 home win over Barcelona in the Champions League.

More from Man City Square

• Rodri believes City can have even more success this season
• Grealish, Stones, and Kovacic will NOT play tomorrow
• My Manchester City UCL Group Stage predictions
• After Injury Guardiola is back in Etihad
• Phil Foden Scores Opener for England Against Scotland

Yet, fate can be a cruel mistress for footballers and just when he seemed to be in his groove a serious knee injury curtailed his season. The mental strength and dedication Gundogan had to show as he battled back seems to be the key to underline the kind of player he is.

Returning for the Centurions season Gundogan played 49 games in 2017/18, scoring 6 goals and providing a further 7 assists. It was clear he was back, although a slightly different kind of player than he was before.

Last season our collective memories probably focus upon his key performances as a defensive midfielder during the title run in. Yet, he actually appeared 50 times in the season for City, scoring 6 goals and assisting a further 8.

Some of these goals were exceptional, not least of which was his stunning free kick against Brighton in the last game which allowed all fans the world over to relax and start to party!

When joining City he signed a 4 year contract and as that contract began to run down, the likelihood of him signing another appeared to recede. There was even talk of City cashing in on him with 12 months left to go to recoup the £24 million they had paid for his services back in 2016.

Gundogan was clear to articulate he wanted time to make the right decision for him because at 28 years of age this was likely to be his last major contract as a footballer. Certainly the next contract is likely to carry him through his best years as a midfielder.

In recent weeks the noises from those close to City seemed to reflect a change. There were indications Gundogan was going to sign a new City contract after all.

Today Manchester City announced Gundogan has indeed signed a new contract, tieing him to the club for a further 4 years. This was accompanied by a light hearted video mimicking the Koscielny announcement which has caused so much consternation on social media in recent days.

Keeping another of our good players at the Club during their best years continues the trend at Manchester City and this bodes well for the future. Let us hope that in the 4 years of the coming Gundogan contract he is able to lift many more trophies.