PREMIER LEAGUE
Ilkay Gundogan close to Barcelona move: who will be the next Manchester City captain?
The 31-year-old was a key part of the team that secured a famous treble, but the Premier League champions may soon have to replace the German midfielder.
Ilkay Gundogan is close to agreeing a move to Barcelona, bringing to an end a trophy-laden seven years with Manchester City.
The German midfielder was Pep Guardiola’s first major signing upon his arrival in England and he has played more than 300 games for City, scoring 60 goals. Guardiola had wanted to keep him at the Etihad Stadium but the club was not willing to meet his demands on contract length.
The 31-year-old has scored countless crucial goals in his time at the club, most recently a 25-yard volley in the opening seconds of the FA Cup that set them on their way for the treble.
City will not only need to find a replacement for his footballing talents, but also his leadership skills. Gundogan was club captain as they lifted the Champions League for the first time.
How do Manchester City select their captain?
In most English clubs the captain is selected by the manager, but Guardiola has chosen to do things a little differently at City. He allows the first team squad to vote to decide who wears the armband.
Last summer, after the departure of previous captain Fernandinho, Gundogan won the vote ahead of fellow midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. The German has epitomised the qualities upon which City’s success has been built and they will need to find an exceptional personality to replace him.
In 2019, when David Silva was voted as the successor to Vincent Kompany, Guardiola explained that Silva had “the respect of his team-mates.”
The City boss continued: “Normally, the captain is the life of the locker room - they know each other; they have fun a lot when they are together.”
Who will replace Gudogan as Man City captain?
It is thought that another vote will take place later this summer to decide who the next captain will be. Last season De Bruyne took the role of vice-captain and he was often handed the armband when Gundogan was not on the pitch in 2022/23.
He will likely be the favourite to move into the role for the upcoming season but there are other contenders in Guardiola’s squad. Alongside Gundogan and De Bruyne in City’s leadership group were Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, and Rodri.
All three have the experience to fulfil the role, but another name could easily emerge from City’s star-studded squad. John Stones has cemented his place in Guardiola’s starting XI in recent months and he has previously said that he holds ambitions to lead the team.
“Every player wants to be captain of their team and to do so for years to come,” Stones said back in 2017. “You have to deserve the right to be captain and I’ll keep working hard to try to be.