it's a bit hard on Stefan, really. He's obviously the one to go. But actually maybe it isn't hard, maybe it's best for him. I rate Stefan, I think he's a bloody good shot stopper, and not a bad distributor at all, although obviously he pales in comparison with Ed. I firmly believe he deserves a first place spot in a lesser PL team or a good Championship team with the chance of going up — no sweat. But it makes no sense to have a 32-year-old shadowing a 31-year-old. City always look to the future. If Ed tightens his game up — and he needs to — he could be going to 34 or even 35, and James will be coming completely into his prime. As it is, I expect James to be pushing him pretty much right from the start. And obviously I'm banking on Ed re-signing. It's not clear to me why Ed would have made that “99% fiction” statement if he was insincere — he was under no pressure to. He could have simply been non-committal.
I don't see the Trafford arriving/Ortega staying/Ed going scenario as ideal, frankly. I'd be ok with it, but it's not the best of the two scenarios. Not in my view.