Last season, Xavi had to deal with injury issues to so many members of his first-team squad. He hardly ever had his first-choice XI on the pitch in the entire season but one player that he could always count on was Ilkay Gundogan.
Last season, the 33-year-old played 2998 minutes in La Liga alone which roughly translates to 33 full games of football. This effectively means that Gundogan effectively missed only five games in the entirety of the campaign.
Despite his age, Gundogan was very consistent and one of the best players in the team. Despite this, his future at the club is uncertain. We covered a story as revealed by Fabrizio Romano that the ex-Man City captain could indeed leave the club this summer.
Now, as per David Ornstein, the Athletic journalist, there is widespread interest in Ilkay Gundogan from Premier League clubs, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It’s up to the midfielder to make a decision in the coming days.
No Barcelona fan would want to see Gundogan leave this summer. The 33-year-old is one of our most creative players and despite the overbooking of midfielders in the squad, the German has something that the others do not – experience.
Gundogan is the old, calm head with an abundance of leadership who can guide the young players in the dressing room. Losing him would have more impact off-the-pitch than on it but desperate times require desperate measures.
Barcelona are still unable to move on deadwood like Clement Lenglet from the squad, prohibiting them from registering new signing Dani Olmo. Gundogan is one player who could help the club record a profit on the books.
The coming days are likely to be decisive in Gundogan’s Barcelona career. If there is another way that does not involve selling the German, fans would love to explore that but if not, the harsh reality needs to be accepted and it will be time to move on, albeit with a heavy heart.
