Pep Guardiola reportedly misses one player Manchester City let go in the previous summer transfer window.
Over the past few years, several big-name players have made moves out of the Manchester club, either on permanent deals or temporary loans.
One of which is Cole Palmer, who has gone on to score 23 goals and provide 13 assists in 40 appearances for Chelsea after he joined the west London club in a deal worth £42.5m last summer.
Even though the Blues are in the race to win a fourth Premier League title in a row and another FA Cup, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding how Guardiola views one player who isn’t even in his squad anymore, and it’s not Palmer.
Guardiola really misses one player City let go of last year
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has claimed that Guardiola misses Ilkay Gundogan, not only for what he offered City on the pitch but also for his presence behind the scenes in the dressing room as well.
The report also adds that neither Matheus Nunes nor Mateo Kovacic, who joined City last summer, have done enough to make Guardiola forget about Gundogan.
Finally, the report claims that the Manchester club now regret the relaxed way they approached the German’s contract situation in the months prior to his exit.
Ilkay Gundogan was a big player for Guardiola
The midfielder was Guardiola’s first signing as City’s manager, securing a £20m deal to bring him to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund back in 2016.
During his seven-year spell with the Citizens, Gundogan made 304 appearances in all competitions.
Across those appearances, the 33-year-old scored 60 goals, provided 38 assists and won numerous trophies.
After captaining the Blues to their historic Treble last season, Gundogan chose to join Barcelona on a free transfer rather than sign a new deal with City.
Having scored some vital goals for Guardiola’s side last season, including two in the FA Cup final, it’s easy to see why the City boss may miss having Gundogan in his side.
However, we feel that rather than lingering on the midfielder’s exit and the impact it’s had on the team, Guardiola should continue to make do with what he’s got and get his players to a point where they don’t consider Gundogan’s absence to be a big problem.
