'No-one is Ederson' - Guardiola turns to Donnarumma

Gianluigi Donnarumma (left) and James Trafford will battle to be Manchester City's first-choice goalkeeper

Manchester City's late dip into the transfer market for a new goalkeeper on deadline day underlines the fact these are worrying times for manager Pep Guardiola and his team.

Summer signing James Trafford has started all three games so far this season and was one of a few City players who came out of Sunday's defeat at Brighton with any credit, but the Englishman is now likely to be consigned to the substitutes' bench following the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

With Ederson sold to Fenerbahce, City and Guardiola pounced with hours remaining to bring in the Italy international from Paris St-Germain for £26m in an attempt to revitalise a squad that is flagging in the early part of the campaign.

City started the Premier League season with a thumping 4-0 win at Wolves, but have since suffered back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and the Seagulls.

"When we conceded the goal, we stopped playing," Guardiola said of City's late capitulation on the south coast on Sunday, letting slip a 1-0 lead for a 2-1 defeat by conceding in the last minute.

Now Guardiola has turned to Donnarumma to try to help fix his team's issues, taking their summer spending to more than £180m.

So does Donnarumma possess the attributes to fill the gap left by Ederson's exit? And what does the future now hold for Trafford?

How Ederson revolutionised goalkeeping role

Premier League sides head into an international break but City's preparations for their crucial meeting against Manchester United on Sunday 14 September are far from ideal.

Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim has seemingly been the coach in a crisis - yet his team are a point ahead of Guardiola's.

Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Match of the Day 2 there are "alarming patterns" defensively but the current situation is "not a crisis" - rather a "difficult moment".

Sources say former AC Milan keeper Donnarumma brings a winning mentality and leadership to a squad that has lost Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish from the dressing room.

His big-game experience helped him win the Treble with PSG last season and it was his penalty shootout heroics in the 2020 European Championship final which broke England's hearts.

The towering 26-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world for his sharp, shot-stopping abilities and commanding presence in the air, but he does not come close to Ederson with the ball at his feet.

City's ethos under Guardiola has been to play out from the back with Ederson, but on current evidence it appears unlikely that Donnarumma can build attacks and fizz passes into the midfield like the Brazilian could do so expertly.

Ederson's departure comes after eight years as undisputed number one, winning six league titles, the Champions League and revolutionising the role of a goalkeeper in the English top-flight by providing eight assists.

"The way Pep likes to play and what has made them one of the most successful team in Premier League history circulates around the goalkeeper Ederson and his incredible control of the ball," former City keeper Peter Schmeichel told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"When they play Man City, managers tell players not to put pressure on him, it is wasted energy. He can play the short game even in front to his own goal. Even under pressure, he can make an 80-yard pass. He has been an absolute threat.

"We don't know the situation. Have they fallen out? Did Ederson ask to leave? Trafford has had an opportunity but no-one can play like Ederson.

"Donnarumma had a really good season with PSG and was instrumental in PSG winning the Champions League. He is OK with his feet but he is not Ederson - no-one is Ederson."

Where does it leave Trafford?

Trafford returned to City from Burnley in the summer for £27m and was expected to compete for the number one spot with Ederson.

But with doubts lingering over the Brazilian's future, 22-year-old Trafford was given the gloves and kept a clean sheet on his debut in an impressive performance at Molineux.

But he was extremely shaky in the 2-0 home defeat by Tottenham in the following game. Guardiola could have taken the option to drop him for the trip to Brighton but he was trusted to start in goal again - and even though City lost again, he made five saves.

Club insiders feel Trafford has age on his side and has an "amazing" future at the club, which was the stance when they announced his signing in July.

The idea that Guardiola suddenly doesn't rate Trafford is wrong - City's involvement in four competitions means he should see plenty of first-team opportunities during the season.

Guardiola's job now is to decide whether to stick with Trafford or throw Donnarumma straight in for the derby - it's a decision he cannot afford to get wrong if he is to avoid being the manager in crisis in Manchester.