Manchester City's signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma is considered a strong statement of ambition. However, this move also received mixed reactions.
Man City's difficult start to the season has increased confusion, especially when considering the history of goalkeepers under coach Pep Guardiola. Ederson, who is loved by fans for his strong personality and key role in the Citizens' consecutive Premier League championship series, is now only 32 years old. This is an age that is still young compared to the standards of the goalkeeper position.
However, Ederson's almost move to Saudi Arabia last year and the interest from Fenerbahce, the club he just joined, accelerated his departure from Man City.
Guardiola's use of Stefan Ortega last season showed Ederson's disappointment in form. James Trafford's return from Burnley for £27 million also signals that Ederson will leave the Etihad. Trafford's struggles in defeats to Tottenham and Brighton seemed to force Man City to accept a feasible deal, not a completely reasonable one.
Manchester United is a rival to Man City in recruiting Donnarumma, and is even a favorite destination. However, they chose Senne Lammens. The demand from the Donnarumma representative exceeded the salary the "Red Devils" were willing to pay. Similarly, Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa is not feasible.
As for Man City, they quickly finalized a goalkeeper with a sky-high salary, no longer suitable for the PSG structure. Under the management of sporting director Hugo Viana, after Txiki Begiristain resigned, the Citizens' transfer activities took on a different color.
Guardiola is still struggling to adapt to four January signings, not to mention seven new signings this summer, including three goalkeepers. Marcus Bettinelli is the final name in the trio.
The question is whether Donnarumma is recruited for the club or the coach? Guardiola's long-term future remains uncertain, although his contract has been extended to 2027. A summer 2025 interview with GQ magazine mentioned Guardiola's fatigue and heavy pressure at the Etihad.
Back in the summer of 2016, when Guardiola first arrived, his first move was to replace Joe Hart with Claudio Bravo. The Chilean goalkeeper was recruited from Barcelona, outstanding for his footwork and miraculous saves.
However, the Bravo experiment failed when he failed to meet Guardiola's saving requirements. will Caballero was later used to replace Joe Hart.
doubts about Donnarumma center on his limited footing ability, which is extremely important for Guardiola. Statistics show that he is less involved in the process of building the playing style than David Raya at Arsenal or Alisson Becker at Liverpool. This is the gold standard for modern goalkeepers, who are both capable of saving and contributing to the overall play.
Alisson has an average of 31.7 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League, compared to Donnarumma's 23.4 passes per 90 minutes in Ligue 1. At PSG, coach Luis Enrique - a former Guardiola teammate - also favored Lucas Chevalier.
The seemingly untouchable standards for any Guardiola goalkeeper since Joe Hart's departure may be changed with the arrival of Donnarumma. This could be a sign of an adjustment in the coach's approach.
Despite his ups and downs, Donnarumma has proven himself to be an excellent goalkeeper in the traditional sense. At the age of 26, he has a lot of potential ahead.
However, apart from his time working with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Guardiola has always asked teams to follow his strict standards, instead of relying on the names or reputations of players.
