‘Why would you’: Pundit baffled by why ‘big occasion’ player could be about to join Arsenal

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Stevie Nicol has questioned why Ilkay Gundogan would leave Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and secure a transfer to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The 32-year-old is out-of-contract in the summer and there are suggestions he could leave Manchester City and re-unite with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal.

If that happens, then the one positive for Nicol is that Ilkay Gundogan is a ‘better player’ than Granit Xhaka, as he told ESPN.

The hard-hitting midfielder is expected to leave the Emirates this summer, and if that’s the case, then the midfield area is going to become even more important when the transfer window re-opens.

Even with Xhaka still in the building, fans are talking about upgrading and adding more proven quality to the middle of the park after their end-of-season title collapse.

A man of Gundogan’s quality, who steps up to the big occasions, and has won five Premier League titles, would tick many boxes Arteta has put out on the table, but it’s a possible deal that still leaves Nicol asking more questions than providing answers.

“Why would Gundogan leave Manchester City?” asked Nicol. “Why don’t you just take the year (extension at Man City)?

“Gundogan can go back to Germany any time he wants. That would make more sense (going to Barcelona) than going to Arsenal.

“You’re leaving the best team to a team that you know are inferior, but you are going to play against them in the same league. If you are going to cut your ties, then I would go somewhere else. I would either go back to Germany, to Barcelona or to a club of that ilk.

“The only thing I am good with it is that he’s a better player than Xhaka. If you can replace what you have got, with better, then that’s the way forward. That’s the only reason why I think it’s a good move for Arsenal, it’s just from a Gundogan point of view, I don’t understand it.”

GUNDOGAN TO ARSENAL WOULD BE A SMART PURCHASE

At this rate, Arsenal are turning into Manchester City 2.0. They took their coach, two players last summer and now Gundogan could join that list.

But the German isn’t the only one because there are also suggestions that Joao Cancelo, who has been loaned out to Bayern Munich, is also being targeted by Arteta.

Yes, those are more Man City players coming into the Arsenal building, but both players, especially Gundogan on a free, would be very smart business from the north London club.