Manchester City saw off a number of contenders arriving as Stefan Ortega left for Nottingham Forest and the goalkeeper fell down the pecking order following summer signings.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 5: Stefan Ortega of Manchester City during a public training session promoted as a ‘City Are Back’ event at Joye Stadium on August 5, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Manchester City have allowed Stefan Ortega to leave the club as goalkeeper after falling down the pecking order, allowing the player to head to Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal.
Ortega had been Ederson’s substitute for several years, but the summer goalkeeper change effectively made him the third choice. Ederson left for Turkey, but James Trafford was signed as the club’s new number one, followed by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who replaced Ederson.
As a result, Ortega was effectively demoted to third choice, unable to get a chance to play, and his desire to leave became stronger. He will head to the City Ground to fight for the shot-stopper’s first choice spot.
Ortega’s chances in Manchester have previously come in cup matches and when Ederson was injured. It was a match that City had to win to win the Premier League title, and the German produced a one-on-one save to deny Son Heung-min, leading to one of his most iconic moments.
After these feats, manager Josep Guardiola said: “He saves us – otherwise Arsenal are champions. That’s the reality. The difference was very close. Son’s save was great. One-on-one Stefan is one of the best keepers I’ve ever seen. This is the German culture: stand up, don’t go down.”
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City will have to deal with a difficult situation even without Ortega. Trafford returned to Manchester from Burnley in the summer in the hope of boosting England’s claim to one of the country’s elite teams. He started the club’s first three games from PSG’s deadline day until signing Italian Donnarumma.
Since then, he has been named Euro 2020 Player of the Year, meaning Trafford will have to wait until the cup games to play, leading to talk of him leaving the club.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: James Trafford of Manchester City speaks with teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma during the warm-up before the match between Manchester City and SSC Napoli in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match at City of Manchester Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
“He responded really well (to the signing of Donnarumma),” Guardiola said. “I have no complaints, James is a top keeper, there’s no doubt about that. I understand the situation. Being a goalkeeper is special. It’s one or the other, you can’t play with other players like in other positions.”
Asked in January whether Trafford could be allowed to leave, Guardiola said: “No, I want him to stay for many years to come. But the keeper situation is special and we’ll see what happens.”
Trafford turned down the chance to move to Newcastle in the summer and moved on to sign Aaron Ramsdale.
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