Ilkay Gundogan Staying Should Be a Priority for Dortmund Boss Thomas Tuchel

A new development in the Ilkay Gundogan saga will certainly bring a smile to most Dortmund fans. Gundogan might actually stay at Signal Iduna Park.

His uncle and agent Ilhan Gundogan recently talked to Suddeutsche Zeitung (h/t ESPN) about the possibility of Ilkay renewing his contract with Dortmund:

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If you had asked me last week I would have said that Ilkay will certainly leave Dortmund this summer, but now it is clearly an option to sign a new contract at Borussia.

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Ilhan also confirmed that his nephew had a long phone talk with new Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel.

"This was a very good discussion," he said. "Tuchel's plans for Borussia are so exciting that Ilkay is pondering them at the moment."

Financially, this is not the most profitable move for Gundogan. However, from a career standpoint, a couple more years in Germany could be beneficial for the midfielder.

Over the past couple of seasons, Gundogan has had to deal with his share of injury troubles; more precisely, the awful back injury that kept him on the sidelines during 2013-14 and also deprived him of a spot in Germany’s World Cup squad.

Nonetheless, the German international has been making steady progress. And toward the end of last season he looked a lot like the Gundogan Dortmund fans missed in 2013-14.

His return to good form also enticed some European giants to seek his signature this summer. Yet, despite much talk about transfers to clubs such as Manchester United and Barcelona, no real progress was made on this front. Which means staying put is indeed a possibility for the German international.

More time in Dortmund means more time to develop and more time playing in the spotlight for Gundogan. As opposed to fighting for a starting spot in clubs like Barcelona, he will have the chance of leading this Dortmund “redeem team.”

The happiest person in this guessing and choosing game is, without a doubt, Tuchel.

Instead of dealing with headaches about who will lead his midfield, he will be able to have headaches about other sectors of the squad, since he already has the perfect man to be the engine of his Dortmund side.

Gundogan’s versatility should prove to be one of the backbones of Tuchel’s squad.

The former Mainz manager is an admirer of a fast-paced, short-passing style of play. A system in which players who can do everything, like Gundogan can, thrive.

Considering the returning players and the signings of Gonzalo Castro and Julian Weigl, as well as the return of Moritz Leitner, Tuchel will have a lot of depth to experiment with his midfield. And if Gundogan chooses to stay, this Dortmund midfield might just have the potential to bring the club back to its old standards.