Ally McCoist has become the latest pundit to question Man City’s decision to replace Ederson with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Speaking on talkSPORT, McCoist suggested that manager Pep Guardiola will be forced to adjust his tactical approach if the Champions League winner is brought in from Paris Saint-Germain:
“So if they do sign him, I would suggest to you that there’ll have to be a change in their mindset, because there is absolutely no way, I think, that the Man City back four can or will have the same confidence in passing him the ball than they would Ederson, for example.
“So right away, that’s a change in your tactic. So if he does come, I think it would have to be a different Man City.”
Henry and Carragher have already raised similar concerns
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football earlier this week, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher pointed to Ederson’s absence as one of the reasons Guardiola’s men lost to Tottenham last Saturday.
As McCoist mentions, Donnarumma is not even close to Ederson in terms of his passing ability, and there will have to be a major shakeup in terms of City’s build-up play if the Italian becomes the club’s new number one.
Man City are still negotiating a deal for Donnarumma
It should be noted that any formal bid for the 26-year-old depends on a buyer being found for Ederson first. Galatasaray have been heavily linked with the Brazilian, but they are unlikely to match the shot-stopper’s asking price, which currently stands at €25m (£21.5m).
If Ederson does leave the Etihad before the transfer window closes, the money will be reinvested in Donnarumma. Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that PSG have now dropped their valuation to between €30m (£26m) and €35m (£30m).
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here