Usually, when Manchester City are linked to a player, it seems futile to doubt whether their potential signing will be successful as Pep Guardiola finds a way to elevate them.
However, even City have made a few signings that have failed to deliver.
For instance, so far, Matheus Nunes has failed to justify his £54 million fee — starting a mere nine games in the Premier League for the Sky Blues last season.
Similarly, Kalvin Phillips has also failed to live up to the billing after being signed from Leeds United as one of the league’s best holding midfielders — heading out to his second loan spell to Ipswich Town now.
The likes of Claudio Bravo and Nolito were other signings made during the Pep Guardiola era who flattered to deceive.
Sutton skeptical of Man City targeting Ilkay Gundogan now
However, out of the several fresh faces that the Sky Blues have brought in during the £378,846-a-week man’s time in charge, only a handful have found it impossible to succeed.
It is due to Manchester City’s enviable success rate with signings that their recruitment has widely been praised over the past few years.
On Tuesday, the latest transfer news surrounding the club was reported by Fabrizio Romano, who claimed that if Ilkay Gundogan approves a return to Manchester City, the move will go through.
However, Chris Sutton has questioned why City would even need to sign Gundogan in the first place.
The pundit told BBC 5 Live Sport: “Look, [Ilkay] Gundogan coming back, he was a brilliant player for them, it’s not like they really need him, is it, Manchester City?”
“Yesterday, when they brought Phil Foden on for half-time, Kyle Walker has been back training and this is a half-baked Manchester City rocking up and they are not ready and they still had so much control.”
Man City certainly need a player like Ilkay Gundogan
Perhaps another reason why Chris Sutton is questioning why Manchester City seem interested in Gundogan is because they won the league last season despite his departure to Barcelona.
Described as “smart” by Pep Guardiola via City’s official website, there are two primary reasons why the German’s potential arrival would help the Sky Blues massively.
Firstly, since Gundogan’s initial exit, the Sky Blues have lacked a central midfielder who not only provides control and security in the middle of the park but is also proficient in the final third — a trait that not many players in his position possess across world football.
Secondly, the 33-year-old offers Pep Guardiola the luxury to rest Rodri more often that he did last season; as Spain’s vice-captain started in 34 league games during the previous campaign.
Considering not many clubs would be willing to part ways with an important player in midfield with less than two weeks left in the transfer window, Gundogan would an astute, stop-gap signing for Manchester City.
