Why might Pep Guardiola have pivoted to Gianluigi Donnarumma, signing him for Man City from PSG in £26m deal?

Donnarumma, is expected to wear the No 99 shirt, after he became Man City’s seventh and final summer signing. With him their total spend is upto £185.8m. He replaces Ederson after his permanent transfer to Fenerbahce was confirmed on Tuesday morning.

Man City club website quoted Donnarumma as saying, “To have signed for Manchester City is such a special and proud moment for me. I am joining a squad packed with world-class talent and a team led by one of the greatest managers in the history of football in Pep Guardiola. This is a club every player in world football would love to join. I have admired watching Manchester City for many years – so to now be able to play for the club is a huge honour and a privilege. I cannot wait to meet my new team-mates, the staff and the fans. Playing at the Etihad Stadium will be very, very special for me. I am very excited for what lies ahead and can promise that I will give absolutely everything to try and help the club achieve even more success.”

The speech was alright, the future is intriguing.

Ederson left for £12m after eight trophy filled years with 18 major honours – six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and a Champions League after 372 ganes and 168 clean sheets, winning the Golden Glove award three times.

Ciao, Gigio 👋🩵 pic.twitter.com/NjFOuOvIQj

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 2, 2025

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The Donnarumma signing is puzzling because City got 22-year-old James Trafford, a summer recruit from Burnley, who started all of Man City’s league games so far this season. He had a particularly nasty blunder against Spurs on Match Day 2. New Trafford was taking a goal kick and ended up slotting it right in path of an onrushing Spurs player.

City next play their derby against Manchester United and it remains to be seen if Guardiola will install Donnarumma as number one.

The Champions league winner was left out of Luis Enrique’s PSG squad for the European Super Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in Udine in August, after 161 appearances, joining from AC Milan in 2021. He kept 56 clean sheets.

When they last met

In fact, it was at Milan ten years ago, according to Sky Football that Guardiola first saw Donnarumma. Sky wrote, ‘August 2015. AC Milan were playing Tottenham in a pre-season Audi Cup game at Munich’s Allianz Arena. Watching on was Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola. After the game, Guardiola approached someone who caught his eye – a 16-year-old goalkeeper who came on at half-time called Gianluigi Donnarumma.’

Ske quoted Alfredo Magni – AC Milan’s goalkeeper coach at the time, as saying,
“He played out the back a lot in that game. He was very supportive to the team by getting involved in many pieces of play.
And Guardiola, at the end of the game, came up to congratulate him for his inclination to play out.”

Donnarumma has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but it remains a curious pick after spending £27m forJames Trafford, who might now have to watch Jordan Pickford continue under the bar for England.

However, the reservations over the Italian are that he’s not a typical Guardiola keeper and will have to fulfill his exacting standards on the high line. Sports News’ Paul Merson wrote for Sky, “I want my goalkeeper to make saves. I don’t think Pep Guardiola does. And that’s the problem. I thought he was going to Man Utd and then it’s a different kettle of fish there – it’s stopping the goals going in. But the goalkeeper plays a huge part in how Man City play. Gianluigi Donnarumma will have to play out. Even though Donnarumma’s a top goalkeeper, he’s going to be completely out of his comfort zone playing out from the back every week. When you’re playing out from the back, you’ve got to know everything. You’ve got to know what your best foot is on the player you’re playing with. The midfield player who’s coming short. What foot to put it on. There’s a lot.’

French football expert Julien Laurens was quoted by Sky as saying, “Is he [Donnarumma] the right fit for Manchester City? The answer is:100 per cent, he isn’t.
On saves, him and Thibaut Courtois, there are no goalkeepers better, maybe that is enough for Guardiola to say he wants him.
But to play for Guardiola you have to be good with your feet. If you’re not good with the ball at your feet, you are not a Guardiola goalkeeper.”

Donnarumma’s distribution is not good enough for a Guardiola team, as per the expert. “And his other weakness is he does not come for the ball in the air, he doesn’t like coming for crosses and corners.
If there is one league in the world where you have to be brave like that, it’s the Premier League. I cannot see how Guardiola thinks, ‘this is the perfect guy for me’.”

More crucially, after Italy’s loss to Norway in world cup qualifiers, they need to beat Israel next.