Donnarumma “issues” guaranteed, but he is “too good not to succeed’ at Man City
Man City’s new signing Gianluigi Donnarumma is “unequivocally” a “world-class” goalkeeper who is “too good not to be a success” at the Etihad, but the concerns surrounding his arrival are “fair”, Citizens expert Steven McInerney tells Sports Mole.
Manchester City’s new signing Gianluigi Donnarumma is “unequivocally” a “world-class” goalkeeper who is “too good not to be a success” at the Etihad Stadium, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.
Just two hours after confirming Ederson’s permanent transfer to Fenerbahce, Man City announced the arrival of Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday morning, with the 26-year-old penning a five-year contract.
The Italy international and Euro 2020 winner has become Pep Guardiola’s seventh and final signing of the summer, and he has arrived at Man City after inspiring PSG to their first ever Champions League triumph as well as winning a historic domestic treble last season.
Donnarumma is widely regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in world football and boasts the best save percentage (74.94%) of all goalkeepers to have made 300+ saves across Europe’s top-five leagues since his Ligue 1 debut in September 2021.
However, his arrival at Man City has been met with mixed reviews from Citizens supporters and the wider football community, as many have doubts over his distribution and whether he has the ability to play out from the back.
Guardiola has been an admirer of Donnarumma for some time, though, ever since he made his senior debut for AC Milan as a 16-year-old a decade ago, and the Citizens boss is thought to have been one of the key factors behind the Italian’s move from Paris to the blue side of Manchester this summer.
‘Donnarumma is a remarkable goalkeeper – that is the bottom line’McInerney feels that the concerns supporters have surrounding Donnarumma are “fair”, but he believes that Guardiola may well have a plan up his sleeve to get the best out of his new shot-stopper, who ‘has nothing to prove’ and will “not be scared” of any fresh challenges that come his way.
Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: “Gianluigi Donnarumma is a remarkable goalkeeper. A world-class goalkeeper who’s just achieved immortality at PSG and broke English hearts (with Italy) in the Euros and so on. He’s achieved so much at 26 years old and he is one that Guardiola wants. I know that’s true.
“There is going to be issues of how we build up. I can’t deny that. Guardiola does [like his teams to] pass the ball out from the back. Maybe we go a bit more direct, maybe you lean on Nico Gonzalez and Rodri to win the second balls in midfield, but all this is Guardiola’s problem.
“Guardiola clearly wanted him, and I’ve seen reports being dug back up from 2017, when he was only 18 years old that Pep wanted him instead of Ederson at the time, but that didn’t happen. Pep clearly rates him, and if Guardiola rates Donnarumma – and if Donnarumma is rated by everyone as one of the best goalkeepers in the world – put two and two together and make four instead of seven!
“The concerns are fair, but I think City fans are overthinking it to an extent. We’ve just signed one of the best goalkeepers in the world for around £25m after selling Ederson for around £10m, so around £15m net for a new goalkeeper – and it’s Donnarumma.
“We need to stop moaning and worrying about the style too much and maybe just accept that Guardiola might have a plan for this. It didn’t stop PSG winning the treble last year, so there are solutions possible.
“Donnarumma in the biggest moments is a freak. He’s an absurd talent… Donnarumma is just a remarkable goalkeeper and that is the bottom line. When you cut out all the noise and you cut out everything else about playing styles and so on, is Donnarumma a world-class goalkeeper? The answer is unequivocally. Yes.”
Fearless Donnarumma ‘has nothing to prove’ at Man City“If I was Donnarumma, I’d not be scared of anything,” McInerney added. “He’s a man mountain of a player and look at what he’s achieved. He’s already won the Yashin award, he’s won the Euros, he’s won the treble (with PSG).
“Donnarumma is not scared of anything. You don’t get as far as you have in a position as insane as a goalkeeper. You have to be a bit mad to play goalkeeper anyway. It’s a cliche, but it’s true because it’s just a mad position. You don’t get that far without having conviction anyway, so Donnarumma won’t be scared of this.
“I don’t think he’ll feel like he has anything to prove. I think there’ll be an arrogance and a comfortability that comes with his success that City will need.
“Haaland was liking all of [the social media] posts (linking Donnarumma to Man City). Haaland wants him. Haaland wants winners. I think Rodri will be happy to see Donnarumma come in. These are kindred spirits these guys. These are winners. I don’t think Donnarumma will feel [the pressure].
“Yes, there are questions, but he won’t care about them. He shouldn’t care about them either and he’s too good to worry about that.
“I don’t really see a scenario where Donnarumma fails in the way that you’d expect. Even if City struggle and Donnarumma’s part of it, he probably spells the end for Pep. But then the next manager will get something out of Donnarumma. He’s too good not to be a success at some point for City.
“Even if it is an adaption problem, he’s going to be here after (Guardiola’s departure), and someone is going to get a lot out of Donnarumma, because Donnarumma is too talented not to.”
Guardiola must now weigh up how he is to manage the minutes of both Donnarumma and fellow new goalkeeper James Trafford, who has started each of Man City’s opening three Premier League games and made a costly error in a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Donnarumma to battle Trafford for Man City No.1 spotWhile McInerney does not believe that Donnarumma can be compared to “one-of-a-kind” Ederson, he has suggested that Man City’s defenders would prefer the Italian’s presence between the sticks over Trafford, and a ‘intentional shift’ in approach from Guardiola could be on the cards.
“Ederson is a one-of-one kind of player. There is no one like Ederson,” he said. “Ederson’s ability with the ball at his feet is so special that there’s an argument that you can’t recreate that. Even James Trafford – a player that I adore, who I’ve watched years for the academy, who’s good with the ball at his feet – he’s still not Ederson.
“I think there is a concession to be made – even with Trafford – to how we play that’s necessary, because Ederson is so freakishly talented that way. You’ve got a midfielder-level talent in goal. I’m not even exaggerating – the guy can pass better than most Premier League midfielders in terms of making 20, 30-yard passes and so on.
“So bearing that in mind, I do wonder if there’s a shift there from Manchester City and it’s an intentional one. If you can’t play with the same exact laser-point precision from your passing from your goalkeeper, why not then just focus on the best shot-stopper arguably in the world instead? A man with so much experience and a man with presence [and] aura.
“You look at this City side right now, one in flux, so much change all over, change almost feels necessary and a necessity for this City side given the churn of players. You look at that defence, in front of Trafford – another young player – [Rayan] Ait-Nouri, [Abdukodir] Khusanov, [Matheus] Nunes. They’re all new to this backline.
“I don’t know how long they’ll stay there, but they are new to it. As much as I really rate James Trafford, I can only imagine these lads would probably feel a lot more secure with Donnarumma behind him, because Donnarumma is Donnarumma. There is an indisputable presence that comes from having a man of that stature behind you, both metaphorically and physically, a remarkable goalkeeper.”
McInerney has also delivered his verdict on whether Donnarumma will come straight into the Man City team at the expense of Trafford and whether he is likely to make his Premier League debut against rivals Manchester United after the international break on September 14.
> Click this link to view and listen to the full discussion.
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