After Man City’s latest swaggering victory, Aymeric Laporte (£4.7m) took to social media to pay Ilkay Gundogan (£3.5m) praise by comparing him to Yaya Toure through the modern medium of meme.
It was an intentionally flattering comparison for the German but the compliment was not entirely unjustified.
Gundogan is playing as well as he ever has for Man City and may even have discovered a new career peak, despite not playing with the same dynamism evident during his Borussia Dortmund days because of the long-term damage caused by a serious knee injury.
What he has lost in mobility, however, he has gained in experience.
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With Pep Guardiola generally preferring to use Phil Foden (£4.2m) in the front three, it’s been Gundogan who has filled the hole left by departed legend David Silva in midfield.
The 30-year-old’s technical ability has never been questioned and this season he has added a keen eye for goal.
With half the campaign remaining, 2020/21 is already the best season of his career in terms of attacking returns.
Gundogan has scored nine goals in all competitions, seven of which have come in the league from just 12 starts and two substitute appearances.
It’s noticeable how frequently he is arriving late in the box this season — and how more inclined he is to shoot in advantageous positions.
This reinvention of sorts has been a key feature of City’s dramatic improvement as they rebounded from an under par opening few weeks to become title favourites in the eyes of many.
Naturally, Gundogan’s impressive form has translated to Dream Team success.
A brace against West Brom took him to 95 points for the season, making him the eighth-best midfielder at the time of writing.
And he’s likely to improve his ranking if he can maintain his current form — he’s averaging nine points per Game Week since mid-December, when City drew to the Baggies at home.
At £3.5m he’s a full £1.0m more expensive than he started the season and with Sheffield United and Burnley next on City’s schedule, his price may rise further if he can capitalise on the favourable fixtures.
With Kevin De Bruyne (£6.3m) nursing an injury, the onus will be on Gundogan to uphold his new attacking verve in the coming weeks — he’ll take his fair share of set-pieces too.
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