Gianluigi Donnarumma | Done deal according to Romano

[LangleyBlue1970]

It's quite a high salary for GK

Premium salary for a premium player.

 

[jamielowndes]

His stats are still up there with the best, and for me, replacing him with Donnarumma will do little for us if we continue to be as open defensively as we were last season.

This is a really key part of the whole conversation. The defence last year was fucking dogshit at times and Ederson got left for dead as a result of it. Doesn't mean he escapes criticism, but there was some absolute garbage at the back last year, especially against the counter.

Donnarumma doesn't fix that by himself. Peak Gordon Banks on cocaine doesn't fix that.

 

[jamielowndes]

Premium salary for a premium player.

My stance on this is always "not my money, not my problem". Clubs accountants know more than we do. It costs what it costs.

If the biggest issue we face is other fans complaining about it, then we'll manage.

 

[strudelslol]

My stance on this is always "not my money, not my problem". Clubs accountants know more than we do. It costs what it costs.

If the biggest issue we face is other fans complaining about it, then we'll manage.

I'd encourage them complaining if I'm honest.

Feels like we're doing things right when they moan.

 

[Dr Jacoby]

I think this will be announced within 48 hours of Ederson’s departure.

 

[Feed the Elk]

This is a really key part of the whole conversation. The defence last year was fucking dogshit at times and Ederson got left for dead as a result of it. Doesn't mean he escapes criticism, but there was some absolute garbage at the back last year, especially against the counter.

Donnarumma doesn't fix that by himself. Peak Gordon Banks on cocaine doesn't fix that.

The defence was only shit last year because of the combined effect of all the injuries. Settle the defence and watch how much more calm the goalkeeper becomes

 

[Matt.D]

Put simply, Ederson has been up there with David Silva and KDB in terms of his fundamental importance to everything we have won.

Everything that has made us the team that we are today surrounds Ederson. From the moment Pep arrived, his style of fearless back to front possession based football was never going to work until Ederson arrived.Once he did, we clicked and the rest is history, if Ederson didn't arrive we wouldn't have achieved what we have, it's as simple as that.

His 'apparent' decline has more to do with teams unpicking Peps overall tactics, and drop off in form of other defensive players than it has to do with the keeper himself.

His stats are still up there with the best, and for me, replacing him with Donnarumma will do little for us if we continue to be as open defensively as we were last season.

Agree Ederson has been hugely important to us. In teams that have been fully functioning the way Pep wants he’s been a big part of our success.

But your last part is where I disagree. We have been a shambles defensively for 12 months. Ait Nouri is a great signing but I don’t think he changes much with that. Like last season, our goalkeeper is going to be much busier than they were in 2020-2024. This is why I think Donnarumma will make a difference. Ederson isn’t and has never been great at making saves. Neither him or Donnarumma are great on crosses. But for a while it’s felt like the opposition will score with every attack they have, often the first one. Donnarumma can make saves he isn’t expected to make and he’s great 1 v 1 with strikers which is the opposite to Eddy. If we are to have a decent chance this season given the defence isn’t going to change and Rodris fitness is questionable we are going to need a keeper to bail us out at times.

 

[Moss Side's Finest]

This is a really key part of the whole conversation. The defence last year was fucking dogshit at times and Ederson got left for dead as a result of it. Doesn't mean he escapes criticism, but there was some absolute garbage at the back last year, especially against the counter.

Absolutely bang on mate. Ederson has ALWAYS been the same type of keeper. Amazing with his feet, good to very good elsewhere. The key thing was, those attributes fitted perfectly with our style of play. But last season, the team changed the style of play (albeit unintentionally), this meant that Ederson looked out of place at times and was exposed.

The question going forward is, does Ederson no longer fit our style of play? if Pep is looking to be more attacking and risk even more counter attacks, then maybe he doesn't. But that doesn't mean he isn't the keeper he always was. He still deserves our respect.

 

[jamielowndes]

The defence was only shit last year because of the combined effect of all the injuries. Settle the defence and watch how much more calm the goalkeeper becomes

Absolutely agree. It will definitely stabilise, but even as a result of the injuries, the point still stands that a lot of the time the GK was left for dead by a back line that couldn't manage the counter attack.

 

[jamielowndes]

Absolutely bang on mate. Ederson has ALWAYS been the same type of keeper. Amazing with his feet, good to very good elsewhere. The key thing was, those attributes fitted perfectly with our style of play. But last season, the team changed the style of play (albeit unintentionally), this meant that Ederson looked out of place at times and was exposed.

The question going forward is, does Ederson no longer fit our style of play? if Pep is looking to be more attacking and risk even more counter attacks, then maybe he doesn't. But that doesn't mean he isn't the keeper he always was. He still deserves our respect.

I think his play with the ball at feet is a bonus rather than something to base the style around. There's more than one sweeper keeper out there, but he's just arguably the best ball player of them all.

I think the likely scenario is that he's been interested in elsewhere for some time apparently and an absolute superstar keeper has shown up at the right time.

Haaland didn't fit the style in 2022. Doesn't mean you don't sign him it just means you change things up. Which they did and we know what happened next.

They don't need to make any ridiculous changes to accommodate Donnarumma. It can be as simple as dropping a defensive mid back to create the extra player if the opposition presses from the top. Even then, how many teams really play the high press against us? Most of our Prem games look like training exercises against practice dummies with the way low blocks get set up.

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

Agree Ederson has been hugely important to us. In teams that have been fully functioning the way Pep wants he’s been a big part of our success.

But your last part is where I disagree. We have been a shambles defensively for 12 months. Ait Nouri is a great signing but I don’t think he changes much with that. Like last season, our goalkeeper is going to be much busier than they were in 2020-2024. This is why I think Donnarumma will make a difference. Ederson isn’t and has never been great at making saves. Neither him or Donnarumma are great on crosses. But for a while it’s felt like the opposition will score with every attack they have, often the first one. Donnarumma can make saves he isn’t expected to make and he’s great 1 v 1 with strikers which is the opposite to Eddy. If we are to have a decent chance this season given the defence isn’t going to change and Rodris fitness is questionable we are going to need a keeer to bail us out at times.

Mostly agree but you rarely see Ederson drop a ball he comes for
Not saying he does or doesn’t come for enough though

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Premium salary for a premium player.

Curtis Jones is happy on £15k per week

 

[bluemoon32]

Curtis Jones is happy on £15k per week

I'd be happy with 5k

 

[Blue Since 76]

No way he`s getting that from us imo. The transfer fee is fine but we wont pay a keeper that much.

Why? I don't get this idea that either the transfer fee or salary for a keeper should be any less than any other player. It's the Graham Souness attitude that a keeper who makes a world class save is just doing their job, but if a midfielder misplaces a pass it's one of those things

If we think Donnarumma is good enough to be a starter in a team pushing for PL and CL every season, why shouldn't he be on the same wages as our first choice midfielders or strikers?

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Put simply, Ederson has been up there with David Silva and KDB in terms of his fundamental importance to everything we have won.

Everything that has made us the team that we are today surrounds Ederson. From the moment Pep arrived, his style of fearless back to front possession based football was never going to work until Ederson arrived.Once he did, we clicked and the rest is history, if Ederson didn't arrive we wouldn't have achieved what we have, it's as simple as that.

His 'apparent' decline has more to do with teams unpicking Peps overall tactics, and drop off in form of other defensive players than it has to do with the keeper himself.

His stats are still up there with the best, and for me, replacing him with Donnarumma will do little for us if we continue to be as open defensively as we were last season.

He's been a great signing and I've loved watching Eddie's crazy antics - certainly never a dull moment - but he is nowhere near Silva and KDB in his impact or statue.

I'm not knocking Eddie at all - but come on be serious.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

It's quite a high salary for GK

LOL no way in a million years are we paying a goalie 250k a week, especially as we've got Trafford who is more than capable of being number 1 sooner or later.

 

[pride in battle]

Put simply, Ederson has been up there with David Silva and KDB in terms of his fundamental importance to everything we have won.

Everything that has made us the team that we are today surrounds Ederson. From the moment Pep arrived, his style of fearless back to front possession based football was never going to work until Ederson arrived.Once he did, we clicked and the rest is history, if Ederson didn't arrive we wouldn't have achieved what we have, it's as simple as that.

His 'apparent' decline has more to do with teams unpicking Peps overall tactics, and drop off in form of other defensive players than it has to do with the keeper himself.

His stats are still up there with the best, and for me, replacing him with Donnarumma will do little for us if we continue to be as open defensively as we were last season.

When he first arrived i thought yes he's brilliant and is bound to drop a few bollocks that leads to goals with his passing out from the back...but NO he hardly ever has lead to a mistake that leads to a goal, what in EIGHT YEARS ! Absolute LEGEND and i for one will miss the mad bastard !!!

 

[pride in battle]

He's been a great signing and I've loved watching Eddie's crazy antics - certainly never a dull moment - but he is nowhere near Silva and KDB in his impact or statue.

I'm not knocking Eddie at all - but come on be serious.

I disagree, he changed the whole concept of a goalkeeper, it was like we had an extra man.
Because its the norm people forget what it was like at the start , it was bat shit crazy and we loved it !!

 

[pride in battle]

LOL no way in a million years are we paying a goalie 250k a week, especially as we've got Trafford who is more than capable of being number 1 sooner or later.

I think you could be wrong :) if Trafford is number one i think we could be in the shit, he might end up world class but its early days yet..

 

[OrigamiNinja]

No way he`s getting that from us imo. The transfer fee is fine but we wont pay a keeper that much.

It’s likely because of the transfer fee, he can command that salary. In a normal situation, he is a £75m+ goalkeeper. We will be saving a huge amount on that price and just like when a player moves on a free, the player expects to receive some of that lack of transfer fee in his wage packet. Similar will have happened in the Haaland negotiations when we got him on a cut-price release clause.