With Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as fellow new arrivals in Manchester this summer to stoke a city rivalry, Ilkay Gundogan believes he is now at the centre of the footballing universe.
Forget La Liga, the Bundesliga or Serie A, the English Premier League is No1 for him. And Gundogan, who was Guardiola’s first signing after being appointed new Manchester City manager, can’t wait to get started as he said: “Right now I am in the most exciting place on Earth maybe for football.
“It’s going to be a big fight next season in the whole Premier League, not just Manchester City and United. We have a lot of expectations for the new season, and when you see which managers and players are joining. I think there will be more in the next weeks.
“Anything is possible for this club. I think Pep knows what he has to do and what he has to change. That’s why he is the best coach for me at the moment. He will bring us to the best level we can play.”
Even though Ibrahimovic accused Guardiola of having “no b***s” after a frustrating season together at Barcelona, the Catalan’s ability to raise performances, shape great teams and win major trophies as he did at Barca and Bayern Munich “makes players want to play for him”, said Gundogan.
“It’s how he works,” added the 25-year-old German international at the club’s ‘Cityzen Weekend’ where he was unveiled on stage to more than 5,800 fans at their City Football Academy complex.
“Even the players who don’t like him… and the best example is Ibrahimovic, I read in his book that he doesn’t like him, I’m saying it like this (laughs). But he says he is the best coach he ever worked with.
“This is really special to read, but he is being honest. It is the same thing I heard from the players at Bayern Munich. They told me the same, that he can improve everyone. That is what is possible.”
Gundogan also knows how much Guardiola wanted him to become a crucial cog in his future plans for City. A reassuring call confirmed the £21million (Dh102m) deal from Borussia Dortmund was still on even when the midfielder suffered a dislocated knee cap in May, an injury – while playing basketball in training – that will rule him out of the start of this coming season.
“I was curious about the reaction of not just Pep, but the club as well,” adds Gundogan. “What do they think now? Did anything change? Maybe they didn’t want to buy me anymore? First we spoke on the phone, Pep called me, he asked me what happened. I told him, explained exactly what happened. I asked him if that changed anything and he said, ‘no, definitely not, I am sure you’ll be fit and ready in a few weeks or months, so it changes nothing’.
“For me that was the last sign I needed to say OK, that is the right thing and this move is definitely what I want to do. It was really important that Pep was the manager because I was at Dortmund for five years, had a wonderful time there and a really successful time. But it was time for myself, and my career especially, for a change.
“To have a new adventure, a new chapter and to start maybe from zero, you know, because at Dortmund I had my comfort zone.
“I recognise over the last few months that I needed a change, to start from zero, to prove myself again, which is why I’m really really happy to be here, to have the chance to work with Guardiola and this wonderful club. It fits.”
Gelsenkirchen-born Gundogan also sought the advice of his former Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, now at Liverpool, when deciding to leave the Bundesliga. He had been linked previously with Manchester United and revealed: “Maybe last year it was close, but not everything happened like I wanted it to. Maybe it was not the right moment and at the end we decided to stay and renew my contract, to extend for one more year. We always had the conversation with Dortmund and agreed that if I left, I will not leave for free, for zero. So I renewed my contract and now this year everyone is lucky and happy how it came to an end.
“Of course I talked to Klopp. I asked if I would fit in the Premier League and he said ‘definitely, definitely yes’. He wishes me the best and me also for him. The Premier League is a really, really big competition. When I was in Germany I followed the games and it was always like the biggest league in Europe and it’s proving now more and more like this when you see which coaches are now joining the Premier League and which players.”
Despite the pain of missing the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 finals with serious injuries, Gundogan dismissed concerns about his fitness. “I think it will not be a problem for the future,” he said confidently. And with his recovery currently on schedule, Gundogan has targeted a derby debut against Mourinho and United on September 10. That could bring him up against former Dortmund team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is poised to complete a £26m (Dh126m) switch to Old Trafford.
“I think it’s not necessary to comment, because at the end, he has to make the right decision for himself,” added Gundogan on the Armenian. “He has been at Dortmund for three years. The first two years were not so easy for him, to be honest. He’s a player who needs self-confidence, who needs to play every time and prove himself to get better and better.
“At that time, we were not so successful, so it was not easy for him to adapt, he had a few problems. But when you see how he played last year, it was really incredible. Maybe he was the most important player for us last year. If he can go on like this, he will have a big, big impact for Manchester United.”
Gundogan is eager to make an impact of his own, and hopes Guardiola can hone his talents like he did with Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barca. The pair have become midfield greats and Gundogan said: “Yes definitely I want to be like that. Xavi is not playing at the highest stage any more, but they were the best of their time, and Iniesta still. I don’t expect anything, but I expect that I could get to another level and to improve myself a lot. When I started out as a kid I played striker or No10, something between. Zinedine Zidane was my hero. He was incredible to watch. Then I liked Ronaldinho when he was at Barcelona. They were maybe the two biggest No10s we saw in the last century. But when I got to the professional team I moved back, No8, No6. There was even one game at Dortmund where I played centre-back, it was a little bit strange.
“But my favourite position is between No6 and No8, being creative, a playmaker, to take the ball and give it to my team-mates, to create chances, to create positions.”
That style is what could well make him the perfect fit for Guardiola and City.
