It Is 2025: İlkay Gündoğan Should Leave Man City

Ilkay’s Gündoğan’s 2024–25 season was not a fairytale homecoming. The dude is 34, and back after his Barcelona detour. Loyalty is sweet and all, but soccer’s a brutal business. He played 50+ games, but his game was inconsistent. One week he’s threading passes, next week he’s looking like he’s running in mud. That midfield’s not getting any slower, either.

Pep’s Not Messing Around!

He brought in Nico González and Tijjani Reijnders, and with Rodri and Kovacic back on the scene, the midfield’s suddenly a shark tank. Reijnders is auditioning for Ilkay’s job and, honestly, he’s nailing it. Gündoğan’s creative license? Yeah, Pep’s already lending it out to the new kids.

Man City’s Year

They were 3rd in the league, out of the Champions League early, and lost the FA Cup final. It is not exactly the domination fans expect. Gündoğan himself even called out the team for moving the ball like they were stuck in rush hour traffic. He scored a couple in a 6-0 cruise, but you could almost hear the sigh in his interviews. The fans? They’re side-eyeing him and Bernardo Silva, like, “Are we starting to look washed?”

Physical Limitations

Physically, let’s be honest, Gündoğan’s not keeping up with the younger lads in the press. He can still pick a pass, but as a box-to-box guy, that tank’s running low. City’s midfield is getting younger, faster, and hungrier. Reijnders is basically a Gündoğan 2.0 with extra batteries.

Plus, the guy’s got options. Turkey’s calling. Galatasaray fans are ready to build him a statue just for showing up. He is not about to sit around on City’s bench, collecting dust and a paycheck. That’s not his vibe.

Why Move Now?

Simple. City needs to trim the squad. Pep’s got a spreadsheet somewhere with 17 names on the chopping block, and veterans like Gündoğan are right at the top. If he goes, City saves cash and clears a path for the next-gen. Gündoğan gets to finish somewhere he’ll actually play, maybe even pick up a couple more trophies for the scrapbook.

The Risks!

Yeah, there are risks City loses some experience, some locker-room mojo, and one of the best set-piece brains around. But you gotta rip the band-aid off. Gündoğan’s already cemented his legend status. Captain, treble-winner, all that jazz. Nobody’s forgetting him.

Bottom Line!

It is just time. He gets a hero’s send-off. City gets to move on, and we all get to remember the good times instead of watching a slow fade-out. It is the right call.

Gündoğan is a City legend. No debate there. He’s lifted trophies, worn the captain’s armband, and ran the midfield like it was his playground. But, let’s be real, everyone slows down eventually. His game’s dipped a bit, he’s not getting any younger, and City’s squad is always morphing into something shinier.

So yeah, a move to Galatasaray makes sense. City gets to shake things up and build the next midfield monster, and Gündoğan gets to write the next (probably epic) chapter of his career without fading into the background. Honestly, it’s not just the right time, it’s a smart move for everyone.