Ilkay Gundogan
Pep Guardiola hinted that Manchester City needs to and will go on a spending spree next transfer window but also insisted on the fact that his team still has a lot to play for the remainder of the season.
Pep Guardiola said “I have an idea (On the rebuild required) but I am not ready to think about that while the season is still progressing, We have to do something because David Silva is leaving and in some positions we need to strengthen but I don’t know how many or how much because the market is always difficult and there are still two or three months to go. A lot can change in that time, look at Vincent Kompany last season. For most of the season he hardly played because of injuries, then he came in for the last couple of months and looked like the best defender in the world, so anything can still happen. There is still a lot for us to fight for even if we are too far behind in the league. We are in a final in a few weeks, we have the FA Cup, there is second place to aim for to secure qualification for the Champions League next season and two big games coming up against Real Madrid.”
As the title almost certainly looks over for Manchester City, they still have the league cup final against Aston Villa as well as Champions league campaign to deal with. But Guardiola has been non-committal about his own future at the club recently saying that even if he is not around at the club, Manchester City will still be able to attract top players at the club.
Ilkay Gundogan has said his desire for a fresh challenge was the reason he signed for Manchester City, rather than joining his former coach, Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Ilkay Gundogan said “I believe in challenges in life and I always try to challenge myself first of all. I feel like if I don’t challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone, I’m not going to change anything and won’t improve. So I had a great four years with Jurgen and I love him as a person and a manager but I felt it was time for something else. I wanted to leave Dortmund in Dortmund and didn’t want to think about the time that I had with him when I was joining a new club. That was a bit of the reason why I didn’t want to join Liverpool.”
The 29-year-old is now a two-time premier league winner and has just signed a contract extension with Manchester City, keeping him at the club till 2023.
In a recent interview to a media house, Pep Guardiola has admitted that he has only been successful because he’s managed the world’s best teams and said that he agreed with his critics that his success has been more down to the players that he has got then his coaching abilities.
Pep Guaordiola said “I never felt like I am the best manager [in the world], Even when I won six titles in a row and trebles. Never felt that. I won because I had extraordinary players at big clubs. The incredible managers don’t have these players. They don’t have these clubs. I’m a good manager, but not the best. Give me a team not like Manchester City and I’m not going to win.”
The 49-year-old Santpedor-born manager has won titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. He has been heavily linked with a move away from Etihad with Juventus being a club very interested in securing his services.
Aymeric Laporte has said he questioned his luck after suffering a knee injury at the start of the season who has been out of action for the best part of five months now.
Aymeric Laporte said “When it happened, in my head, the truth was I thought ‘Surprise, surprise.’ The day before I’m meant to be going with the France national team, blam … I wouldn’t say I’m cursed, but maybe it was misfortune. You ask yourself a bit ‘Why?. No one knows, but I’m back, I’m happy. All is well. I don’t have any pain, so I’m ready and back on the attack”
Manchester City bought him for a club-record £57 million from Athletic Bilbao in the winter transfer window in 2018. His ball-playing abilities have seen him become the leader of the defence very quickly and his absence from the team has clearly been felt by the Citizens.
