Manchester City's decision to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer marked a departure from their decade-long goalkeeper recruitment policy. The logic was rooted in the team's possession-based defensive approach: with the ball constricting opponents in their own third, the ideal goalkeeper was one who could retain and progress the ball, a role Ederson epitomized and even an aging Claudio Bravo could manage.
That calculus shifted after Rodri suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September 2024. Without their defensive midfield anchor, City struggled to stifle opposition counters, and the number of shots allowed per game rose sharply. Having conceded around seven and a half shots per match in each of the previous four seasons, the figure climbed to 9.34 in 2024-25, 9.71 in 2025-26, and reached 10.56 in the Premier League under new manager Enzo Maresca. In the Champions League, where opponents often play on the front foot, City have allowed an average of 11 shots per game.
Donnarumma was recruited primarily for his shot-stopping prowess, having carried Paris Saint-Germain through crucial moments to their first Champions League title. However, his performances have not matched that pedigree. Errors have crept in: he let a Nicolas Jackson shot slip through his gloves at Villa Park, was beaten by Désiré Doué and Vitinha in PSG's heavy win at the Etihad, and in a recent Champions League match against Leipzig, he drifted three yards off his line as Ridle Baku crossed, allowing the German side's first equaliser. Despite Erling Haaland's 13th goal in nine meetings with Leipzig securing a 3-2 win, Donnarumma's mistake was conspicuous.
The Italian has had positive moments, including a smart diving save to deny Christoph Baumgartner's long-range strike in Leipzig. Across 56 games in the Premier League and Champions League, he has conceded six fewer goals than the post-shot expected goals (xG) value of the shots he faced. Last season he ranked among the better pure shot-stoppers in the Premier League; this season he remains around that level. Yet the overall assessment is that Donnarumma has been merely fine — a standard that falls short of the world-class shot-stopping City sought when they accepted a goalkeeper who offers little in possession.
