The head coach of the Barcelona football team, Hansi Flick, is confident that Ilkay Gündogan, who according to press reports wants to leave, will still spend this season at the club. The Catalan team overcame a one-goal deficit to win 2-1 as a guest of Valencia in the opening round of the Spanish football championship.
The home team took the lead before the break of Saturday night’s meeting, but Robert Lewandowski equalized in the minutes of added time, and in the second half he scored the three points from the penalty spot for the Catalans.
The 33-year-old German national team midfielder Ilkay Gündogan joined the garnet-red-blues from Manchester City last year, with one year left on his contract. Gündogan is one of the highest-paid footballers in the squad, but according to Spanish media reports, he wants to leave the Catalan team after the signing of Dani Olmo.
Dani Olmo signed for Barcelona from Leipzig
The Spanish European champion signed with the Catalan club until 2030.
Gündogan was not in the squad for the 2-1 opening round win over Valencia on Saturday night, Flick, who came to the bench in the summer, explained his absence by saying that the player injured his eyebrow.
“I appreciate the kind of player and person he is” – stated Flick, who revealed that he has a good relationship with the football player. “I know him well, I feel he will stay” – he added.
Gündogan played 82 matches in the German national team, and was a member of the national team that reached the quarter-finals of the summer European Championship organized for them in their home country. He set the final score against the Hungarian national team in a 2-0 group match win.
La Liga, Round 1:
Saturday results:
Osasuna-Leganés 1-1 (0-1)
Valencia-FC Barcelona 1-2 (1-1)
played on Friday:
Celta Vigo-Alavés 2-1 (0-1)
Las Palmas-Seville 2-2 (1-1)
played on Thursday:
Athletic Bilbao-Getafe 1-1 (1-0)
Real Betis-Girona 1-1 (1-0)
played on Sunday:
Real Sociedad-Rayo Vallecano 19.00
Real Mallorca-Real Madrid 21.30
played on Monday:
Valladolid-Espanyol 19.00
Villarreal-Atletico Madrid 21.30