The goalkeeping situation at Manchester City now needs to be resolved | OneFootball

For the first time in what seems to be an eternity, there is uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeping position at Manchester City. Ederson’s future at the club remains in doubt. Whether or not he will stay at the club after the transfer window closes remains to be seen. James Trafford was signed by City from Burnley during the summer transfer window. He has started Manchester City’s first two Premier League games of this season. But he wasn’t at his best as City went down to Tottenham last weekend. Those are two variables in the City goalkeeping situation.

The third variable is Manchester City’s well-documented interest in signing PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Mark Brus has reported for CaughtOffside that Manchester City and PSG have largely agreed on a €30 million transfer fee that will see Donnarumma sign for City. But that move is held up by Ederson’s potential move to Galatasaray. Simply put, all of the above factors combined have created an air of uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeper position at Manchester City. It simply must be resolved as quickly as possible. If Ederson leaves City, there will be a fundamental shift in how Pep Guardiola’s side operates. That was on display last weekend at the Etihad.

The uncertainty surrounding Ederson’s future shouldn’t have been allowed to fester.

It had appeared earlier this summer that Ederson was set to remain at Manchester City. The Brazilian international declared that he was set to stay at the club for the 25/26 season. But in recent weeks, Galatasaray’s interest in signing Ederson has surfaced.

That story has actually hung over Manchester City. The fact that the situation appears unresolved has created the situation City find themselves in. Would City be so advanced in a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma if they didn’t know that Ederson was leaving? If Manchester City had no intention of letting Ederson leave, why haven’t they shut down Galatasaray’s interest in their number-one keeper? The answer to those two questions isn’t immediately apparent. But it does leave an air of uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeping position at City. If Ederson is staying at City, Galatasaray’s interest in the Brazilian international should have been put to bed early.

If Ederson leaves Manchester City, it will change how City build up from the back.

What will change if Ederson leaves Manchester City is how Pep Guardiola’s side builds up from the back. Ederson is a unicorn of sorts. He is a one-of-a-kind goalkeeper whose ability with his feet is unparalleled. It isn’t a stretch to say it is unlikely that a keeper so adept with the ball at his feet will be seen again. Ederson’s ability to play a defence-splitting long ball is also a crucial element of Manchester City’s play. If he were to leave, that skillset will not be replaced. It can’t be, such is the prodigious talent Ederson has with his feet. He has been a vital component of City’s play since he arrived at the club.

That’s where the uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeping position at City is an issue. If it’s James Trafford, Gianluigi Donnarumma or the forgotten Stefan Ortega who replaces Ederson in goal if he leaves, there will be a period of adjustment needed from Pep Guardiola’s squad to adapt. There is a school of thought that this should have been resolved weeks ago for the City squad to adjust to a new goalkeeper. But that hasn’t occurred. Now the state of limbo likely won’t be resolved until transfer deadline day.

The goalkeeping situation at Manchester City needs to be resolved. That way Pep Guardiola’s side will know what lies ahead for the new season. The current situation is almost un-City-like. Now the hope is that it is resolved as quickly as possible for the good of Pep Guardiola’s side and all of the players involved.