Manchester night reported that goalkeeper James Trafford returned to Manchester City, but Ederson was still on the team, which surprised many people, especially Trafford himself. The young goalkeeper has said he will only return to the Etihad Stadium if he becomes No. 1 goalkeeper, but it seems that is not the case at the moment.
Ederson is expected to remain Guardiola's first choice goalkeeper this season, and Ortega is about to leave the team, and Trafford will take on the task of winning the main position. However, this scenario is different from what the coach said last month.
Nevertheless, Ederson's time seems to be coming to an end. Last summer, he was tempted by a transfer from the Saudi club and finally convinced him to stay was very difficult. Last season, Guardiola sometimes preferred Ortega, causing Ederson to lose his main position. While Ortega failed to seize the opportunity, Trafford is likely to have a similar opportunity. Anyway, Trafford will get a chance to play in the Cup and will make the most of every opportunity. Even if Ederson insists on another year, the possibility of a Brazilian renewing his contract is slim.
Trafford will be the No. 1 goalkeeper, or at least in a very favorable position. During this time, he can benefit from a core philosophy of the former Manchester City sporting director. Hugo Viana continues to uphold Tiki Begiristan's long-standing principle of signing successors before the current player leaves. Manchester City did this even in Begiristan's own position and had great success in other positions, such as Rodri and Fernandinho's three years of working together and Phil Foden's gradual integration into the first team. Begiristan likes to liken this mode to a 2-person bike, with new players sitting in the back seat until they have enough control and strength to replace the person in the front seat.
This is a good arrangement for Trafford. No matter how potential he had at Manchester City Football Academy, Guardiola knew the best players would never stop learning. Ederson still has a lot to teach to the young man who is about to replace him. Although the two are not exactly the same in their playing style, the goalkeeper language they share is the best combination that Manchester City can hope for in this uncertain summer.
Throughout the team, Manchester City needs to maintain enough experience while introducing new players to sustain success over the past decade. With Ederson and Trafford, the goalkeeper position will be very solid in the coming seasons.