Ilkay Gundogan
Manchester City make their transfer decision on £36m-rated star amid Barcelona interest – report
Manchester City have no plans to sell midfielder Ilkay Gundogan amid interest from Barcelona, Sky Sports claims. It was recently reported that Gundogan’s uncle and agent met with Blaugrana’s officials to discuss a possible summer move. Furthermore, it was said that the German international would be open to the prospect of joining the Catalan giants. However, the Cityzens have no intention to sell him despite the fact that there has been no progress in contract talks. Sportslens view: Gundogan had the best-ever return of his career last season, registering 17 goals and five assists from 46 appearances in all competitions. He came up with vital goals in the big games for the Cityzens and ended up as their top-scorer for the campaign, much to the surprise of many. After such a standout season...
Barcelona have held talks with agent of £36m-rated German, player would favour move – report
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan would be open to joining Barcelona this summer, El Chiringuito reporter Jose Alvarez claims. The Blaugrana have been busy in the transfer market since the end of the season, and they have already announced the arrival of three new players. Among them are Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia, who will officially join on free transfers when their City contracts expire at the end of the month. The Blaugrana have continued to be linked with several City players including Aymeric Laporte and Raheem Sterling, and Gundogan is the latest on their radar. It is reported that the club’s officials recently held talks with the uncle and agent of the midfielder over a possible transfer in the upcoming transfer window. The German international is said to favour a move t...
Euro 2020: Germany still need some work ahead of France opener – coach
Germany still need to work on parts of their game before the start of the European Championship, coach Joachim Loew said on Sunday at the end of their nine-day training camp in Austria. The Germans, starting their tournament against world champions France on June 15, play their last warm-up match against Latvia on Monday. The Euros open on Friday. “I cannot fully draw conclusions from our camp just yet because our preparation continues and after the game tomorrow we have a week in Duesseldorf to prepare for France,” Loew, going into his final tournament as Germany coach, told a news conference. Loew has been in charge since 2006 and will be succeeded by his former assistant and former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick after the tournament. The Germans also play European champions Portugal as...
Sergio Aguero apologises after embarrassing penalty miss vs Chelsea
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has issued an apology for his penalty miss against Chelsea. Aguero made a hash of his Panenka effort on Saturday, spooning the kick straight into the arms of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. It was a surprising slip from the usually unerring Argentine, but it was in keeping with a torrid season for the Premier League leaders from 12 yards out and contributed to a 2-1 defeat that prevented City from claiming the title. City boss Pep Guardiola refused to criticise the forward following the game, but Aguero has taken to Twitter to issue an apology. “I would like to apologise to my team-mates, staff and supporters for missing the penalty,” Aguero wrote. “It was a bad decision and I take full responsibility.” Aguero’s Panenka nightmare was the fourth penal...
‘Masterclass’: Some Man City fans react after midfielder’s display vs Tottenham Hotspur
A section of Manchester City fans on Twitter have hailed the performance of Ilkay Gundogan following the club’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last night. The German has been in splendid form since mid-December and he went into the game on the back of contributing nine goals and one assist from his last 11 league games. He continued the fine run by winning the penalty which gave the Cityzens the lead in the 23rd minute. Rodri just about managed to convert the spot-kick past Hugo Lloris. Shortly after the interval, Gundogan linked up impressively with Raheem Sterling before unleashing a low shot which beat Lloris at the near post. The 30-year-old doubled his goal tally for the game in the 66th minute following a stunning long-ball from goalkeeper Ederson. Gundogan prod...
‘Incredible’, ‘Fantastic performance’: Some Man City fans praise midfielder’s display vs Liverpool
A section of Manchester City fans on Twitter have hailed the performance of Ilkay Gundogan during the club’s stunning 4-1 Premier League win at Liverpool. The Cityzens went into the game in superb form with 13 straight wins across all competitions which included nine in the top-flight. The club had the chance to take the lead at the midway stage of the first-half at Anfield after being handed a penalty for a foul on Raheem Sterling. However, Gundogan squandered the opportunity as he fired his effort over the top of Alisson Becker’s goal. The teams went goalless at the interval, but Gundogan made amends shortly after the break after scoring from a rebound off Phil Foden’s shot. The Reds levelled the scores through Mohamed Salah’s penalty after the hour mark, but just 10 minutes later Gundog...
Chelsea boss admits to facing ‘reality check’ after Manchester City drubbing
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard acknowledged that he was given a sharp jolt of reality as the Blues capitulated at home to Manchester City on Sunday. Lampard’s charges have been in torrid form since the start of December, following up a run of nine unbeaten Premier League games with four defeats in their last six outings. The latest, a 3-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge at the hands of City, was concerning not just for the result but also the subdued display offered by the hosts. Chelsea mustered just two shots on target to give debutant goalkeeper Zack Steffen a quiet afternoon between the posts, and only troubled the scorers late into injury time through Callum Hudson-Odoi when the game was already out of reach. And with the Blues having slipped down to eighth as a result of their recent woes,...
Manchester City ease into Champions League last 16
Manchester City booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League but there were more concerns for Pep Guardiola over his side’s lack of ruthlessness in a 1-0 win at Olympiakos on Wednesday. Phil Foden’s low strike nine minutes before half-time ensured City deservedly kept up their 100 percent record in Europe this season. But a one-goal margin of victory was a scant reward for the visitors’ dominance even with a heavily-rotated side. Guardiola made five changes to the team beaten 2-0 at Tottenham on Saturday to see City off to their worst league start since the first few months of the club’s Abu Dhabi-backed ownership. Scoring goals has been City’s big problem in the Premier League, but they had scored three in each of their opening three Champions League wins over Porto, Marseill...
Jose Mourinho slams VAR influence for Liverpool derby, Manchester City win
Jose Mourinho has slammed VAR after incidents in the Merseyside derby and Manchester City’s win over Porto in the Champions League. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was not sent off after a horrible tackle on Virgil van Dijk, while Ilkay Gundogan escaped punishment after fouling Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin. Tottenham boss Mourinho thinks both players should have been sent off and wants changes made to the VAR system. “I think the attention [the incidents have received] is based on the fact that there is a VAR. Without VAR, the situations on the pitch happen and the human being, the referee, makes mistakes,” Mourinho said. “And you know me for quite a few years – it was difficult for me to accept the human mistakes but I learned and in this moment, I always accept the referee’s mis...
