Thank you to Ilkay Gundogan, a Manchester City legend.

Image courtesy of theathletic.com

The 21st of June 2023 has been a very mixed day for Manchester City supporters.

On the positive side, the Blues have finalised an agreement with Chelsea for the transfer of midfielder Mateo Kovacic, for the reasonably low price of just £25 million, with a potential £5 million in add ons.

This bit of business, whilst very impressive, and once again showing the capabilities of City's board, perhaps foreshadowed the event that followed later today.

As first called by Matteo Moretto, and then confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, club captain Ilkay Gundogan is set to depart Manchester City on a free transfer to Barcelona, after 7 wonderful years of service.

Gundogan started life in a City shirt promisingly, scoring on his debut, and then adding a further two goals against new club Barcelona in a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in November 2016.

But, an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury sidelined the German for the rest of the season, and his 2017/18 season saw him play second fiddle to David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne in the number 8 positions.

But, after injury plagued the back end of Fernandinho's 2018/19 season, Gundogan was given the chance to shine as the deepest lying midfielder, where he played a huge part as City held off Liverpool to retain the Premier League, as part of their historic domestic quadruple.

After an underwhelming 2019/20 season for the entire squad, Gundogan reached new heights in the 2020/21 season, after going through a remarkable run of goal scoring form at the turn of the year to win the Premier League for City once again, and take the club to their first ever UEFA Champions League final.

His disappointment to miss out on starting key games in the 2021/22 season, such as both legs of the Real Madrid Champions League semi final tie, both Premier League games against Liverpool, and the all important final game of the season against Aston Villa, must have been there, but it certainly wasn't evident, given his performances when required.

Gundogan scored the crucial winner against Villa in the 81st minute, with his brace acting as the first and third goals of a quickfire comeback to win 3-2, to cement his place in Manchester City history.

All of this came after his introduction as a substitute on the 70 minute mark, where he led the side to respond immediately to Villa's second goal.

Not satisfied with that, after being appointed captain after Fernandinho's summer departure, he led the Blues to the treble, scoring two goals in the FA Cup final against Manchester United, including one after just 12 seconds.

His departure is a sickening blow for Manchester City, as they lose not only a fantastic footballer, but an incredible leader in the dressing room too.

The rest of the current leadership group - namely Ruben Dias, Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri and, if he stays at the club, Kyle Walker - will need to step up to fill the void left by the 32 year old German.

Gundogan's departure from the club draws many similarities to when Vincent Kompany called it a day, as opposed to the other recent departing legends: Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, and even David Silva.

With that last group of players, it seemed the right time for them to move on, if we put sentimentality aside.

Aguero, Toure and Fernandinho were cemented as backups by the time they left, whilst Zabaleta was one of many senior outgoings, as Guardiola moulded his squad to what it is today. Alongside the Argentinian full back, we saw the likes of Jesus Navas, Willy Caballero, Gael Clichy, Aleksandr Kolarov and Bacary Sagna all leave on a free transfer.

As for Silva, he announced at the start of the 2019/20 season that he'd be leaving in the summer, meaning City had plenty of time to line up a replacement for him, as they chose to add Ferran Torres to fill his place in the squad (with the idea that Foden/Bernardo would move into midfield.)

But Kompany and Gundogan? Both of those players were undoubtedly first team players at the time of their departure, and both were the club captain when they left on a free transfer.

Whilst Kompany went back to his hometown club of Anderlecht to be their player-manager, Gundogan remains right at the top level of European football, as he looks set to move to Spain and Barcelona, arguably the most famous sports team in the world.

With the current financial implications surrounding Barcelona right now; failing to register players, having to pull so called "financial levers" and sacrifice future revenue, whilst also asking veteran players to take massive pay cuts, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed in Gundogan's decision to join such a basket case club.

But, the decision has been made, and whilst it stings, the priority for City now has to be to find a replacement for him in the transfer market.

The two ideal replacements, Jude Bellingham and Alexis Mac Allister, have already moved to Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively, so a move for them is off the table.

A move for Declan Rice is very much still on the cards, with reports suggesting selling club West Ham are expecting an approach from City, but they'll have to act fast, with Arsenal having already had two bids rejected for the 24 year old.

And other names such as Gabri Veiga, Mason Mount, James Maddison, Florian Wirtz and Nicolo Barella have been floated around, but that is mostly just fan speculation, as I'd be very surprised if City sign any of these players.

Or, perhaps City would keep Bernardo in a central role from next season, and look to sign a new right winger. But, the list of potential signing options on the wing are even more scarce than in central midfield.

The departure of Gundogan, a club legend who has performed on the big stage so many times in a City shirt, is a sore loss for all concerned with the club.

But he isn't the first legend to leave the club in recent times, nor will he be the last, with Pep Guardiola and Kevin de Bruyne approaching the autumn of their careers with the club.

The signing of Kovacic, a flexible, experienced midfielder, who has shown plenty of ability at Real Madrid and Chelsea, is a step in the right direction for City, as they fill the hole left by the skipper.

For the supporters accusing Gundogan of "sabotaging" City's transfer plans by delaying his decision for so long, I say this: his commitment, passion and contribution to City for the last 7 years will not be overlooked by the slightest of sour endings.

Gundogan has earned the right to do what he wants at City, and he'll always be remembered fondly as the man who's late goals against Aston Villa on the final day in 2022 helped the club win the league, on one of the most dramatic days in football history.

Image courtesy of mancity.com