Transfer News: Who Is New Manchester City Signing Ilkay Gundogan?

Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan at Turk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, Turkey, October 22, 2014. Gundogan has joined Manchester City. Lars Baron/Getty

Ilkay Gundogan, the German midfielder, has become the first major signing of the summer for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at a reported £21 million.

With the European Championships in France taking place from June 10 through July 10, City is looking to get its business done as early as possible to prepare for next season.

Pep Guardiola, the new manager at the Etihad Stadium, will be fully aware of the qualities Gundogan possesses after spending three years in the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich boss.

.@Guendogan8 signs for City! #WelcomeIlkay #mcfc https://t.co/a5Nkykajbl

— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 2, 2016

Here, Newsweek looks at who the City signing is and what he will bring to the Premier League:

Profile

Ilkay Gundogan is a 25-year-old German midfielder, who was born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish parents. The Germany international worked his way through the German leagues before joining Manchester City on Thursday.

Rising Through the Ranks

After spells with different clubs around Germany as an academy prospect, an 18-year-old Gundogan signed a professional contract at FC Nurnberg in 2009. He was an immediate hit in the Bundesliga, impressing against Bayern Munich in only his fourth game playing at that level, battling in the midfield with now-Manchester United player Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Gundogan caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp, then-Borussia Dortmund manager, after less than 50 games in Germany's premier division and moved to the Westfalenstadion.

Success at Dortmund

Gundogan spent four years with his compatriot, following the famous "gegenpressing" style of Klopp's Dortmund. This saw Gundogan and his team-mates apply a suffocatingly high press on opposition in numbers with a successful outcome.

In their time together, Klopp and Gundogan won the Bundesliga and German Cup, as well as coming runner-up to Bayern in the Champions League in 2013. That success earned Klopp a move to England with Liverpool in 2015, and now Gundogan has followed him to the Premier League.

Does He Suit the Premier League?

"He has a great passing game, is a complete player, and fits perfectly into our footballing system," Klopp said of Gundogan's rise while at Dortmund. Klopp's footballing system has proven suited to the Premier League, and his coaching of Gundogan looks set to be of benefit to City.

The 25-year-old is a versatile midfielder, who has impressive ball retention while also constantly producing penetrative passes, a necessity in any Guardiola team. But what will please his new manager even more is his willingness to learn, according to Klopp.

The draw of working with Guardiola, who won the Bundesliga the last three seasons, also seemed to be part of Gundogan's decision. After signing, he said: "I am looking forward to playing for Pep an incredible amount. He is one of the greatest coaches of all time."

Injury Woes

Having impressed at such a young age, Gundogan earnt a call-up to the national side by then-manager Joachim Low at just 20 years old. But the midfielder has struggled to stamp any authority in the Germany team as injuries prevented him featuring in either Euro 2012 or the 2014 World Cup.

Gundogan missed the majority of Dortmund's 2013/14 campaign with a back injury, and will not be on show this summer as a knee injury has ruled him out of the European Championships in France.

Guardiola will hope his first major signing at City can shake the injury woes before the new campaign begins in August, as they prepare to challenge for the Premier League.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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