NafisaThere was a time when Manchester City supporters could look at their goalkeeping department and believe they had one of the strongest young options in English football waiting in the wings.
James Trafford had already shown enough to convince many that he could become a long-term solution between the posts.
Then came Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City made the decision to move on from Trafford, allowing the England goalkeeper to return to the Premier League with Leeds United, while Donnarumma arrived to take over as their first-choice goalkeeper.
At the time, the decision could be defended.
Donnarumma had won major honours, had vast European experience and arrived at the Etihad with a reputation that Trafford simply could not match.
But following City’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, a growing section of supporters are questioning whether the club got that decision badly wrong.
And the frustration has now become impossible to ignore.
City fans turn on Donnarumma after Arsenal display
Donnarumma’s performance against Arsenal has sparked a wave of criticism from Manchester City supporters, with several fans openly revisiting the decision to allow Trafford to leave.
One supporter questioned the move bluntly, describing it as a “ridiculous decision” to let Trafford go because of Donnarumma.
Another went even further, claiming the Italian goalkeeper had been responsible for costly mistakes and arguing that City could have been left without silverware last season had it not been for Trafford.
The criticism has quickly developed into something bigger than one poor performance.
For some supporters, Donnarumma’s display has reopened an old debate about whether City should ever have allowed Trafford to leave in the first place.
“Keeping Donnarumma and selling James Trafford…”
Perhaps the most damning reaction came from a supporter who argued that keeping Donnarumma while selling Trafford was a decision worthy of serious scrutiny.
Another fan pointed to the difference between the mistakes made by the two goalkeepers.
Trafford, they argued, had made mistakes with his footwork, but those errors were viewed as something that could be developed and corrected.
Donnarumma, meanwhile, was accused of struggling to command his area and making saves that have left supporters questioning his reliability.
That comparison is particularly significant because Trafford was once viewed as a goalkeeper with enormous potential.
City clearly believed Donnarumma could give them something different.
But now some fans are wondering whether they sacrificed development for reputation.
The irony has not been lost on supporters
There is another part of the story that has particularly irritated City supporters.
One fan pointed out that Donnarumma was brought in after Trafford had endured an unconvincing start to his time with the club.
The irony, according to that supporter, is that City subsequently allowed Trafford to leave while Donnarumma has now made similar mistakes.
“Funniest thing is we got Donnarumma because Trafford didn’t look that great in his first couple of games,” the supporter argued.
That sentiment has been echoed by others who believe Trafford was judged too quickly.
Another supporter claimed that several of City’s pre-season goals could have been avoided had Donnarumma performed better, before asking why Trafford was moved on for making mistakes that Donnarumma has seemingly repeated.
Whether those comparisons are completely fair is another matter.
Goalkeepers inevitably make mistakes, and one Community Shield performance should not determine an entire season.
But the fact that supporters are already making the comparison tells you how quickly the mood can change in football.
Leeds United could suddenly look like the winners:
And this is where Leeds United enter the conversation.
While City supporters are debating whether Trafford should have been retained, Leeds have already secured the goalkeeper and handed him a major opportunity to establish himself as a Premier League number one.
For Daniel Farke, the decision could ultimately prove to be one of the most important pieces of business of the summer.
Trafford arrived at Elland Road with plenty to prove.
But he also arrived with something City supporters now appear to be missing: a connection with the club’s academy and a feeling that there was still significant room for development.
Leeds have effectively bet on the goalkeeper’s potential.
City, meanwhile, bet on established pedigree.
And the Community Shield has provided an early reminder that football transfers rarely come with guarantees.
“Selling Trafford will haunt the club”
One particularly frustrated City supporter claimed that selling Trafford could eventually “haunt” the club.
The argument was simple: if Donnarumma was genuinely the obvious upgrade, why were City supporters already questioning the goalkeeper’s performances?
Another fan raised an even bigger concern, asking why City could potentially need to spend more money on another goalkeeper in January after already moving Trafford on.
“It was actually a ridiculous decision in my opinion to let Trafford leave because of Donnarumma”
“This same donnaruma is the reason why we didn’t win the league last season Just keeps on conceding stupid goals”
“If not for Trafford we would have been trophyless last season yet the club thinks it’s the right decision to let him go”
“Keeping Donnarumma and selling James Trafford alone is a sackable offense.”
“Trafford made one mistake, and it was his footwork; nothing truly conceptual for his position. Since then, we’ve seen Donnarumma fail to command his area and dive to the opposite side of where the ball is sent to him.”
“Funniest thing is we got Donnarumma because Trafford didn’t look that great in his first couple of games. But oh well.”
“Every goal we conceded in preseason before this arsenal match,could hsve been avoided if Donna wasn’t soo bad. We kicked out traff cuz of one his mistakes, now donna does this mistake most of the time bit can’t be kicked out. Funny isn’t it?”
“We had James Trafford, and we sold him because of Donnarumma, now, we want to sign another goalkeeper in January? Wasting money”
“We really sacrifice Trafford for this fraud donnaruma”
“Selling Trafford, our own boy for Donnarumma will haunt the club at the end of the season. If he was really that great, Louis Enrique wouldn’t have let him go.”
That would represent the worst possible outcome from City’s perspective.
They would have lost a promising goalkeeper, invested heavily in his replacement and potentially still find themselves looking for another solution.
For Leeds, however, the situation could be completely different.
If Trafford settles quickly and performs consistently, the Whites could have secured a goalkeeper capable of protecting their Premier League status for years.
And if his former club continues to struggle with its goalkeeping situation, the decision to let him leave could become one of the more heavily scrutinised moves of the season.
For now, it is far too early to declare City wrong or Leeds the winners.
Donnarumma has the experience and quality to respond.
Trafford has plenty of work ahead of him too.
But after one particularly difficult afternoon for City’s new goalkeeper, the supporters who never wanted James Trafford to leave are making sure everyone remembers exactly what they said.
Nafisa
