**_Sky Sports_ pundits Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher believe Man City suffered in the absence of Ederson against Tottenham at the weekend.**
The Brazilian is expected to be sold if Galatasaray or another club match his €25m (£21.7m) asking price before the transfer window closes on Monday.
However, Arsenal legend Henry claims that Ederson is always the “spare man” when teams press City and ex-Liverpool defender Carragher says the 2-0 loss to Spurs was partly down to the decision to start James Trafford ahead of him:
“I think football is now a man-to-man marking game, it is, but because City, as you have just said there, had had Ederson in that situation, it’s not 10 v 10 like it is for most teams, because Ederson is that good on the ball.”
“But if you don’t have Ederson, and you have Trafford there, and it is not just Trafford, it could be a lot of goalkeepers in the Premier League, it does become just 10 v 10. That’s what it is, and that’s really the problem City have got if they’re not going to use Ederson.”
Replacing Ederson with Donnarumma doesn’t make sense
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One of the key pillars behind the success of Pep Guardiola’s side over the past decade has been the ability to play out from the back. Ederson’s passing range was an integral part of that.
PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma has [**been tipped**](https://mancitynews.com/man-city-transfer-news-gianluigi-donnarumma-9/) as the 32-year-old’s replacement, but while the Italian is an excellent shot-stopper, he isn’t the best with the ball at his feet.
It raises big questions about the thought process behind selling Ederson, as it could radically alter Guardiola’s tactical approach.
Man City are very much at a crossroads
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The defeat to Tottenham does emphasise the fact that the Cityzens are still in a stage of flux. Replacing Ederson will have big consequences for the team, in addition to the other changes that have been made to the starting lineup over the summer.
Guardiola is a master tactician, but he is going to have a massive task on his hands getting this team into contention for the Premier League title.
[**Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://mancitynews.com/manchester-city-first-team-squad/)