2 Nov 2016

Redknapp raves: 'Quality' €29m Klopp signing can be the 'next Yaya Toure'

Ex-Red Jamie Redknapp has hailed the instant impact of Man City signing Ilkay Gundogan.

Over the summer, Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Gundogan, and one point, the Reds were reportedly favourites to seal the deal. Alas, the German playmaker ended up at Manchester City, and according to Redknapp:

"Gundogan can be the next Yaya Toure. He [offer] a similar goal threat, and can take the pressure off Aguero. That’s four goals in two games now. He is a quality operator and didn’t even have a pre-season".

Gundogan - who Klopp signed at Dortmund - has hit the ground running for City, but the idea that he offers a 'similar goal threat' to Toure is fanciful at best. Stats:

* Toure (City): 72 goals in 269 apps (One every 307 mins)

* Gundogan (BVB): 15 goals in 157 apps (One every 802 mins)

Toure's goal rate isn't the greatest to start with, but as the stats show, Gundogan's is significantly worse. In my view, Redknapp is jumping the gun a little here - Gundogan never scored more than 4 goals (all competitions) in a single season for Dortmund, and his current goalscoring form is the exception, not the rule.

Gundogan recently described Klopp as an 'emotional' manager, and revealed that he played a big part in his decision to sign for Man City:

"I asked Klopp if the Premier League was right for me. He said 'yes', the playing style would be perfect for me."

If Gundogan discussed his Prem move with Klopp, then given their mutual admiration - and the confirmed transfer link - there's a strong probability that they discussed a move to Liverpool. With that in mind, why did Gundogan seemingly reject a reunion with Klopp? Given their prior working relationship, Klopp (in theory) had a massive advantage in transfer negotiations, but he still couldn't attract him to Anfield.

Would Gundogan be at Man City right now if Manuel Pellegrini was still in charge? Probably not. It seems that, in this case, that the force is stronger with Pep Guardiola, who, Gundogan claims is a 'genius'.

Clearly, in the battle between genius and emotion, genius wins every time.

* Gundogan: €29m-rated


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