Ilkay Gundogan has been included in Manchester City’s release list after all.
“City have released a list of four players, including captain Guendouzi, who will leave the club at the end of the 2022-23 season,” the Manchester Evening News reported.
Guendouane is City’s “captain. He rose to prominence at Dortmund and was chosen by Pep Guardiola to join City in 2016. He was Guardiola’s first signing in charge of City.
He has since established himself. In his first year, injuries limited him to 16 appearances, including cup competitions, but he became a regular starter in the 2017-18 season. His work-rate, footballing intelligence, tactical understanding, and quality on both sides of the ball have made him an integral part of City’s ‘core’. In 2020-21, he maximized his offensive abilities, scoring 13 goals in the league alone, making him the team’s top scorer.메이저놀이터
His form continued in the 2022-23 season. In 51 games, including cup competitions, he scored 11 goals and provided seven assists, showing that he was still going strong despite being well into his 30s. As City’s ‘captain’, he led the team in every game and was instrumental in lifting the long-awaited Big Ear.
However, it was unclear whether he would extend his stay with City. His contract expired in the summer, but there were no renewal issues. City continued to pursue a new deal for Guendouane, but disagreements over the length of his contract prevented them from reaching an agreement. At this point, Barcelona and Arsenal were interested in him.
Eventually, he was placed on the ‘release list’. Of course, being on the list doesn’t mean you’ll be released ‘unconditionally’. However, it does show that the contract negotiations between the two parties are not progressing.
Along with Guendouane, Benjamin Mendy is also on the release list. He joined City in 2017 and looked set to anchor City’s left flank with his razor-sharp crosses. However, frequent injuries and poor performances cost him his place, and in 2021, he was accused of sexual assault. He was later acquitted, but City had no intention of reinstating him.
Aside from Guendouan and Mendy, the other two players are academy players.