Will Barcelona regret letting go of Ilkay Gundogan?

After a few days of speculation, Manchester City have completed the signing of Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona on  a free transfer.

The German midfielder only joined Barcelona last summer but is back to the Etihad after a mutual agreement with Barcelona. 

Gundogan left City last summer after captaining the English club to the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble last season. This ended a successful seven-year stint in England, during which he won 14 trophies, including five league titles.

Although City tried to convince the German maestro to remain in their books, he was still insistent on moving to Barcelona. Though he was approached by other clubs, Gundogan always wanted Barcelona. He claimed it had always been his dream to pull on the famous red and blue colour for the Blaugrana despite their well-documented financial issues and Pep Guardiola’s desire to keep him.

Gundogan’s Barcelona career

However, the move to the Spanish giants has been anything but smooth sailing for the mercurial midfielder. The club has been mired in administrative issues, which culminated in club legend Xavi Hernandez getting the sack after failing to land any silverware for Catalans in what became his last season at the helm for the Spanish giants.

Gundogan also had his own running in with teammates and was notably critical of some of his teammates' performances at some point in the season. 

The German had taken a swipe at centre-back Ronald Araujo after his reckless red card cost his team against Paris St Germain in the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals last season. 

There were reports of unrest in the dressing room after Gundogan's remarks as Xavi's team spiralled into chaos. But despite this, the consensus was that Gundogan was going to see out his two-year contract with the Spanish side as he showed no desire to leave, taking part in their United States pre-season. The arrival of new head coach and countryman Hansi Flick also led to suggestions he would remain at the Nou Camp beyond this summer. 

Flick had always said he really admired Ilkay Gundogan a lot  and was looking forward to working with him as he considered the German midfielder a key component of his Barcelona project. 

Gundogan was on course to appear in Barcelona's opening fixture with Valencia at the Mestalla, after recovering from an injury he picked up during their pre-season tour in the US. 

However, his omission from the match day squad, which was at first reported to be due to him not being past fit by the physios, turned out to be an excuse as Gundogan was on his way out of Barcelona. 

The news surely left football fans all over the world scratching their heads after he spent just one season at the club. 

Why Gundogan left Barcelona

The Spanish giants' long-standing financial issues made it nearly impossible for them to land their choice signings, and for them to do so, they had to move on their heavy earners. 

The club hierarchy decided that Ilkay Gundogan was dispensable due to his high value and high wages. The opportunity to let him go back to Manchester City on a free transfer, with the English side more than willingly happy to cover the majority of his wages, was a no-brainer for Barcelona, who needed to create space in their wage bill to register Dani Olmo. 

Despite having vocally and publicly backed Gundogan to remain at the club, Hansi flick was powerless to the outcome of the deal as Gundogan returned to Manchester City just after one season at Barcelona.

But has Barcelona made a huge mistake in letting Gundogan go?

How will they fare without the German, who was one of the most creative midfielders in Spain last season? 

With Real Madrid the favourites to win the La Liga title again this season, have Barca shit themselves in the leg by letting Gundogan leave?

So far, it seems as if the gamble the club hierarchy took in letting the German World Cup winner leave is working as they have picked up six points in their opening two matches.

The Catalan club is looking exciting and in better shape compared to last season, despite losing the German who was a mainstay in Xavi's team last season. 

They seem unaffected by Gundogan’s departure, and we believe there are five key reasons for this.

Hansi Flick's Experience. 

Hansi Flick has begun his Barcelona reign well, and so far is pressing all the right buttons that will help him succeed at the club.

The German has since kept his feet on the ground and adopted a calm and cool-headed approach to his time in Barcelona. 

He has regularly reiterated that he knows what he signed up for when he took on the Barca job. 

And so, despite the off-field turmoil in the club administration, the manager has brought a breath of fresh air to the team, with his tactical dexterity shining through in just a few weeks of being in charge. 

If he continues with his approach to management, it won’t be surprising if Barca easily rides on without Gundogan.  

The Raphinha experiment

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick isn’t just a good manager, he is tactically sound.

The German showed his tactical nous by deciding to move Raphinha into a central position behind striker Rober Lewandowski in their match against Valencia. 

The move certainly raised eyebrows, given the strong performances of Pablo Torre during pre-season and the fact that fans are used to seeing Raphinha play down the flank.

However, the switch in tactics worked a great deal as the Brazilian put in a solid performance against a stubborn Valencia backline, causing them all sorts of problems and ultimately winning the penalty, which Robert Lewandowski converted to make it 2-1 for the Blaugrana to claim maximum points.

His outing shows that he could be Flick’s solution to Gundogan’s exit.

Pedri's return from injury

The return of Pedri from injury couldn't be better timed. The Canary Island-born midfielder returned ahead of schedule after picking up the injury in Spain's quarterfinal match against Germany in the just-concluded Euros. 

His return was a breath of relief for manager Hansi Flick, who has waxed lyrical about the Spanish midfielder and rewarded his return with an appearance against Valencia and a starting berth against Athletic Bilbao. 

The German tactician deployed Pedri as a deep-lying playmaker alongside teenage defensive midfielder Marc Bernal, and the two looked like they'd been playing together for years against Athletic Bilbao. 

With the duo on the pitch, Barca dictated play and controlled the game against the Basque outfit, moving the ball up the pitch faster, which allowed Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres to feed Lewandowski with chances, which was clearly lacking last season. 

Barca's Youngsters

If Barcelona has one thing in abundance, it's an abundance of talented youngsters, and Hansi Flick has shown a willingness to put some faith in them. This is evident with the promotion of Marc Bernal and Marc Cassado to the first team. 

The two have made two appearances in two games for the Spanish giants. Their presence in the first team gives Hansi Flick room for more interesting tactical setups. 

Dani Olmo's registered

Barca's financial issues and struggles to register new signings have been well recorded, a case that was the same when Gundogan arrived. 

However, the departure of the German midfielder doesn't only seem to have footballing merits for the Spanish side as it has also helped them register their new signing, which wouldn't have been possible if the midfielder hadn't moved on. 

Dani Olmo has yet to make his appearance for the Spanish side, and it's yet to be seen how he fits into Flick's system. 

But the signs are looking very interesting at this early stage, and Barcelona ticket buyers would soon see their new midfielder take to the field, thanks to Gundogan's exit.   

Conclusion

Although Barcelona fans and Hansi Flick would have preferred to have Ilkay Gundogan's services, the Spanish side have not allowed his departure to slow them down. 

They have kicked off their campaign in high spirit with a strong performance against Valencia and a statement win against an exciting Athletic Bilbao side. 

Barcelona created ample chances against the Basque outfit and would have won with a higher goal margin if they had converted all their chances, with Lewandowski hitting the woodwork twice and spurring a big chance to put them in front after Oihan Sanchet had equalised for Bilbao. 

Furthermore, Fermin Lopez's return from an extended break after his Olympic exploits and the imminent return of midfield duo Frenkie DeJong and Alejandro Gavi from injury further give Hansi Flick a wealth of talents at his disposal. 

While it is still early days, it's safe to say that the Barca board pulled off a good deal, and the club will be fine without Gundogan.