The big news at home was the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino as the new USMNT manager, while the big news overseas was the start of the new Premier League season.
Some shocking news, though, was the return of star midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City as it looks to win a fourth straight title. It marked the second major event for Gundogan this week, as he also announced his retirement from the German national team.
Gundogan played seven seasons at Man City from 2016-23 before transferring and signing a two-year contract with Barcelona. He scored five goals in 51 total matches there, spanning La Liga, National Cup and League Cup play.
However, new Barca manager Hansi Flick reportedly couldn’t guarantee a “primary role” for him after the team signed Dani Olmo and the emergence of Pedri and Fermin Lopez. It all culminated in Gundogan's sudden departure and quick return to Man City.
So how does Gundogan's return impact the club’s odds?
Not a ton, it turns out. Man City remains the favorite to four-peat, according to FanDuel, with +130 odds, which is narrowly ahead of Arsenals at +170. Liverpool isn’t too far behind at +550 before a massive drop off to Chelsea at +2300.
Man City also remains favored to win the UEFA Champions League (+250), followed by Real Madrid (+320), Arsenal (+800), Bayer Munich (+1000) and Gundogan’s former team, Barcelona (+1200).
