Kalvin Phillips reacts to Ilkay Gundogan's Man City message – 'I want to be honest'
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Jonathan Burnett
Wed 3 September 2025 9:54, UK
Manchester City’s significant summer overhaul has been finalised after one of their modern-day greats said a final goodbye to the club.
Change has been the theme of this summer’s transfer window at Manchester City with seven first-team signings made, 12 sales sanctioned and three players released, with roughly £100million brought in.
Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji have all been allowed to leave the club on permanent and temporary bases, and long-serving player departures have continued after the deadline.
City were unable to move on the unwanted Kalvin Phillips after Football Insider revealed they were prepared to take a “huge hit” on the England midfielder, but the end of the window has yielded another pair of emotional departures for Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan.
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Ederson’s £12.1million move to Fenerbahce comes against the backdrop of Man City signing both James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma to replace him this summer, and Gundogan is also bound for Turkey.
Football Insider revealed on 11 August that Gundogan wanted to stay put at the Etihad Stadium amid interest from Galatasaray, but the German international has since had a change of heart on this move.
Gundogan completed his move to the club he supported as a child on 2 September and was welcomed by former Man City winger Leroy Sane, as the two prepare to reunite at Rams Park this season.
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The 34-year-old posted a message to City fans on Instagram after leaving the Blues for the second and final time, in which he said: “I want to be honest with you… the reason why I’m leaving is very simple: I still want to play football as often as possible, because that’s what I love the most.”
“City want a new beginning after an incredible era – I will never, ever forget what this great club has done for me over so many years.
Most of my time here was absolutely fantastic and incredibly successful.”
Both Phillips and Rico Lewis left identfical comments in support of Gundogan’s statement, saying: “All the best Gundo”.
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Football Insider Verdict
With Gundogan and Ederson joining De Bruyne, Walker, Grealish and Akanji at the exit door, Guardiola has lost six players who all played integral parts in Man City’s greatest-ever season back in 2022–23.
Gundogan may have departed immediately after his huge role in sealing their unprecedented treble with a brace in the FA Cup final, but returned from Barcelona on a big-money contract just 12 months later.
Man City were unable to complete a last-ditch deal with Leeds for Phillips to return to Elland Road, but after a summer of huge changes, the onus is on Guardiola’s new-look side to click into gear and aim for the heights reached by that 2022–23 group.