Paul Merson has said that if Ilkay Gundogan leaves Manchester City in the summer transfer window, he struggles to see which player can come in to adequately replace him.
The outspoken pundit made this claim on Sky Sports about the £20 million (Guardian) man’s future at the Etihad Stadium.
With Ilkay Gundogan rumoured to bid farewell to Manchester City at the end of the season, Paul Merson has raised the fact that this could be a worry for the club.
Paul Merson says no player in the world can replace Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City
The German midfielder’s agent came out on Monday and quelled all the reports about his client having signed a contract renewal.
As things stand, a report on Tuesday claimed that the Sky Blues skipper could either put pen to paper and stay put at the club or join Barcelona.
Now, Paul Merson has said that in the event that Ilkay Gundogan decides to leave Manchester City, it could be a real problem for the club.
“If Gundogan leaves at the end of his contract, I don’t know how they replace him. He’s a big-game player. A huge-game player. There’s not many of those about, who produce at the right times in big games. There’s plenty of good footballers, but not many like him.
Paul Merson also claimed that he does not doubt Pep Guardiola’s willingness to keep Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City, saying, “It’s a no-brainer to keep him if they can. I’m sure Pep will want to, it’s not one of those where they say ‘Oh, we’ll let him go’, I just don’t see how you replace him, I really don’t.”
“I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who can come in and play the way he plays.”
Paul Merson is bang on the money
With Jude Bellingham also nearing a move to Real Madrid, perhaps he could have come in to replace the 32-year-old at Manchester City, which Paul Merson would have likely backed as a successful transition.
As Alexis Mac Allister’s transfer to Liverpool also all but confirmed, there does not seem to be a single midfielder who can fill the five-time Premier League winner’s shoes.
Even the aforementioned names have years to go before they could even be mentioned in the same breadth as Ilkay Gundogan, which emphasises the problem on City’s hands if he leaves in the summer.
