8 hours ago
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Manchester City don't know who their No.1 is, but could end the transfer window with a No.4 if they are not careful
Manchester City will only move for Gianluigi Donnarumma if Ederson leaves. The goalkeeping department has to operate on a basis of one-out and then one-in in case anything happens.
Of course deals can be lined up to be simultaneous, so if Galatasaray finally do come through and tempt City's No.1 away from the Etihad after eight seasons then it isn't like City will wait until they've seen an announcement tweet before they start seeing if anybody has a number for Paris Saint-Germain or the Italian keeper; talks have already been had.
The uncertainty isn't helpful now that the season has started. Pep Guardiola said before the first game that Ederson remained his No.1, yet now he can't and while James Trafford impressed in the first game he made a major error in the second that leaves the goalkeeping spot for the Brighton game anyone's guess.
Even more confusing could be the bench. Unless Marcus Bettinelli has recovered from an injury that has kept him out for the whole of August, he is likely to miss out again.
Bettinelli was another who followed the rule of goalkeepers, arriving for a small fee from Chelsea shortly after Scott Carson had departed as third-choice on a free transfer. One went out and one came in.
If Bettinelli isn't fit though, there is every chance that Stefan Ortega will travel with the squad to Brighton. He was on the bench at Wolves and continues to train with the squad despite effectively being fourth choice keeper.
City decided that they could not pass up the opportunity of signing James Trafford back from Burnley for £27m earlier in the summer when they knew Newcastle were ready to pounce. Ederson would be out of contract in 12 months and their former academy player would be an appealing homegrown option.
Except they already had three keepers, so with Trafford coming in the message to Ortega was that he needed to go. Nearly a month on, he hasn't.
And if there is a queue of buyers waiting for the German goalkeeper, they are being exceptionally quiet. With a few days of the window to go, there is not even any speculation about who could be ready to sign Ortega.
Going into the season without a defined No.1 looks poor planning on City's part, but ending the transfer window with four goalkeepers would be everything that Guardiola has been railing against for months: an unnecessarily big squad that makes his job harder with more people likely to be left at home on a matchday and struggling to be motivated enough to push their teammates.
Whatever happens with Ederson and Donnarumma, City have another goalkeeping move that needs urgent attention.
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