13 hours ago
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James Trafford will soon sign for Manchester City despite plans to keep Ederson at the club in a busy summer of change
James Trafford coming back to Manchester City with Ederson still at the club is something that will surprise plenty - not least James Trafford.
The young shotstopper said that he would only return to the Etihad as No.1 and it doesn't look like that will be the case yet.
Ederson is expected to stay as first choice under Pep Guardiola this season, with Stefan Ortega moving on as Trafford takes on the role of pushing for a place in the team. Again, the scenario is different from what even the manager was saying publicly last month.
It does, however, feel like the end is near for Ederson. He was sorely tempted by a Saudi move last summer and it took a lot to convince him to stay, while last year he lost his place in the team at times as Guardiola opted for Ortega instead.
The German was never able to capitalise on it but it feels like those same opportunities will arise for Trafford, who will play in the cups anyway and take anything he is given. Even if Ederson holds him off for a year, the chances of the Brazilian signing a new contract past his current deal expiring next summer feels extremely slim.
Trafford will become No.1 then, or at least is perfectly positioned to do so, and in the meantime he can benefit from one of the core beliefs of the previous City sporting director. Hugo Viana is continuing the longstanding principle that Txiki Begiristain believed in whereby you signed a successor for a position before the current occupant had left.
City even managed it with Begiristain's own role but have had considerable success with, for example, Rodri spending three years alongside Fernandinho or integrating Phil Foden among senior stars. Begiristain liked to talk of this as like a tandem bike, where the new recruit would sit at the back until he had enough control and power to take the front seat from the person he had sat watching.
That should benefit Trafford on his return. However much he has improved since he was a promising teenager at the City Football Academy, Guardiola knows that the best players never stop learning and Ederson still has plenty to offer the man that is coming back to ultimately take his place.
The two are by no means identical in playing style but their goalkeeping language is shared and it is about the best combination City could have hoped for as they went into the summer with real uncertainty around the position.
Around the squad, City have to strike the right balance of rebuilding with new players while maintaining enough experience to not lose what has made the team so good over the last decade. With Ederson and Trafford, that goalkeeping position looks to be strong for this season and many more beyond.
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