The signing that saw Manchester City win the summer transfer window - and damage Arsenal's title dream

The 2024 summer transfer window is almost over, and what a window it’s been, with clubs competing fiercely for the best players while also navigating the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which are now the new normal.

Every transfer window, clubs sign players to improve their teams, while others lose key players, which can negatively impact their season. It’s not just the clubs that have a stake in the transfer windows; players do as well. They move in search of greener pastures, which could mean more playing time, more money, or a chance to win trophies with better teams. It's the Wild West, where everyone is looking after their shoulders and protecting their precious assets.

As with every transfer window in the Premier League, there are winners and losers, and the winner in this one was arguably defending champions, Manchester City.

The signing of Ilkay Gündogan from Barcelona was the deal that pushed them to summit this summer. He’s just the kind of personality that Guardiola would have been dreaming of when he was planning this season.

The German was arguably the best player of City’s treble-winning season, delivering a host of clutch moments. Though the club won the league title last season without him, they missed him in the FA Cup final, where they lost to an opponent he had scored two goals against in the previous season at the same stage, in the same Wembley Stadium.

In the return leg of the UEFA Champions League tie against Real Madrid, when chance creation proved difficult due to the negative tactics employed by the eventual winners, Gündogan’s ability to find himself in scoring situations would have been invaluable.

Not since Frank Lampard has their been a player as ruthless in arriving late and finishing off chances like Gündogan. There’s a reason why, when he became available and free, his former manager Guardiola instantly said yes to the move. There is a little video from City where Pep is so happy with Gundogan that he said he was moving away from coaching before he had seen his team play the way he wants.

He goes further to say we won the Premier League because Gundogan arrived at the far post in reference to his goals against Aston Villa. Guardiola's midfield includes players with various skills, but none possess Gündogan's unique ability to deliver in big games.

With his re-addition to the midfield, Guardiola has another option to rotate alongside the ageing Rodri and Mateo Kovačić, the only two senior traditional central midfielders he had going into the season before Gündogan’s surprise return. The former captain of City is the underrated signing of the summer, and his arrival will dent Arsenal hopes of finally winning the Premier League title again, that is for sure.