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Guardiola Explains Surprise James Trafford Start vs Tottenham

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Farah Ben Gamra | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 11:27 AM ET

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has justified his choice of James Trafford over Ederson in Saturday’s 2–0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur, saying it is about being habitual and not based on concerns about the Brazilian’s future.

The 21-year-old Trafford, who came from Burnley for £27 million this summer, made his second consecutive Premier League start.

After impressing in the 4–0 opening-day win at Wolves, he was preferred again at the Etihad, only to make a costly error that led to Spurs’ second goal.

But Ederson’s absence has fueled rumors regarding his future at the club. He has been linked with Galatasaray and City are also monitoring Gianluigi Donnarumma at Paris Saint-Germain.

As Ederson watches from the bench, James Trafford gifts Tottenham a goal pic.twitter.com/bu8Ezym3xe
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 23, 2025

But Guardiola claimed his selection against Spurs was not part of a bigger statement, just part of his rotational policy at the beginning of the season.

Guardiola’s Explanation for Picking Trafford

Asked if his goalkeeper decision was because of Ederson’s uncertain future, Guardiola said in the press conference following the game:

“He made a good first game, James. And I decided to continue. When I take a decision, normally for the first part of the season, not just for the keeper — because it is a special position of course — it is to have more consistency in the goal."

"But for all the players, when you play one or two games then everybody thinks, okay this is the start line now. And I learned from many years that in this amount of games, everybody will play it. So just today I decided that.”

https://www.youtube.com/live/CEz5AxwSEzE

Guardiola’s words suggest Trafford should get more chances to prove himself. But with City dropping points at home, the scrutiny around the goalkeeper role will only get bigger.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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