If Arsenal is successful in pulling off this alleged coup, they may be on the verge of making a huge stride towards catching up to Manchester City.
This is in response to David Ornstein’s assertions on Twitter, where he provided a status update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Ilkay Gundogan, whose £140,000 a week contract at the Etihad is set to expire this summer.
Many European heavyweights have been made aware of the availability of the German international who has been crucial to Pep Guardiola’s success this season due to a long-running contract issue.
The journalist tweeted: “Arsenal trying to sign Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan. The Spaniard has been open in his desire to bind the 32-year-old to a contract. If Xhaka leaves, Arteta wants to be 32. There will be new initiatives to keep him at MCFC and other possibilities.
Should Mikel Arteta have his way, Granit Xhaka, a former Borussia Dortmund star who is closing in on the Emirates exit door, would be a vast improvement over the Swiss general.
Ilkay Gundogan: How excellent is he?
Few players’ value surpasses a concept that has produced remarkable success in Guardiola’s unexpected rotation cycle.
Gundogan, who has made the fifth-most starts of any player on his team with 30 league appearances from 37 games played, has thrived as an all-around asset who is exceptional in almost every area of the game.
He has led this legendary club from the engine room, scoring eight goals, dishing out five assists, and winning 2.8 duels per game while maintaining an average Sofascore rating of 7.15. It appears that as he has gotten older, his technical ability, experience, and athleticism have all increased, making him one of the league’s top performers.
Despite having a stellar year in north London, which may be his last, Xhaka’s achievements pale in contrast to the mercurial maestro, whom Guardiola has termed “one of the best players I ever trained in my career.”
After a turbulent start to his career there, the 30-year-old Gunners star will leave fans with an incredible lasting memory thanks to his five goals, seven assists, and a 7.01 average rating (per Sofascore).
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However, it might be slightly eclipsed if they persuade Gundogan to replace him.
After all, this relentless City star has already won five league championships and countless other awards, greatly contributing to each of them. He was praised as a “goalscoring hero” in 2021 by journalist Adam Bate, and yet he is once more a menace who has helped push them over the edge.
Along with a management who keeps changing the game, he nevertheless manages to achieve new heights.
He might be interested in leading a new administration that would ultimately break the Citizens’ grip on English football if he were to reunite with his former coach at this time.
