Manchester City’s goalkeeping department is creaking again and the cracks are beginning to look like full blown fault lines. Barely five months after a major reshuffle between the posts the champions are staring at the prospect of losing not one but two senior stoppers before the season even hits its stride.
Daily Mail Sport understands James Trafford is already eyeing the exit after being lured back from Burnley in a £27 million deal with the promise of becoming the new number one. He had been led to believe Ederson’s switch to Fenerbahce would open the door for him to take charge of the gloves. Instead City pulled off a dramatic deadline day coup by landing Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint Germain after tracking the Italian all summer. Since then Trafford has barely had a look in while Donnarumma has kept a firm grip on every Premier League minute.
Newcastle United thought they had Trafford tied up in July only for City to swoop in with matching rights and snatch him back. The Magpies are now poised to return in January sensing an opportunity with the 23 year old frustrated and desperate for regular football. And they are not the only ones waiting to pounce.
Stefan Ortega is also pushing towards the door after slipping so far down the pecking order he now finds himself behind Marcus Bettinelli and not even travelling to away matches. The German had hoped to compete for the shirt but those hopes have evaporated and he is ready to explore a move as early as next month.
City now face a delicate balancing act as they decide how many departures they can stomach while still keeping Donnarumma protected. Trafford’s camp had spoken openly about the move being a pathway to the England shirt currently held by Jordan Pickford. Yet his slow start at the Etihad combined with Thomas Tuchel’s insistence that England contenders must be playing regularly threatens to derail his World Cup ambitions before they have even begun.
Meanwhile Donnarumma brings his own brand of chaos. The 26 year old travels to Fulham on Tuesday night with City hoping to close the gap on leaders Arsenal but their marquee keeper stands on a disciplinary tightrope. One more yellow card before the January reset would make him the first goalkeeper in Premier League history to be banned for racking up five bookings. He collected his fourth in the frantic 3-2 win over Leeds and three of those have been for dissent with the other for time wasting.
Pep Guardiola shrugged off concerns insisting he has not spoken to his star signing about his behaviour and offering only a resigned he has many it is what it is.
City may yet find that their goalkeeper headaches have only just begun.