Pep fear, 'real' offer, extra help - the priceless Man City transfer call

Pep Guardiola is reaping the benefits of other clubs failing to appreciate the 'real' value of Ederson.

Manchester City's 'keeper was their best player against Fulham, bailing them out a number of times in an uncomfortable 3-2 win at the Etihad to keep them tucked in behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table going into the international break. But the Brazilian may not have been in Manchester this season if transfer interest from Al Nassr or Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League had manifested into a serious offer.

Ederson felt undervalued at City at the time, with Stefan Ortega winning plaudits for his 'save of the season' from Son Heung-min in the penultimate game against Tottenham after City's No.1 had been forced off - against his wishes - with a fractured eye socket. The goalkeeper's family were open to a new challenge and Guardiola feared he would lose the player despite making it publicly clear he remained his preferred choice as well as trying to convince him privately.

READ MORE: Man City unsung hero steps up to help Mateo Kovacic earn Fulham win

READ MORE: Man City player ratings vs Fulham

City can be thankful that Ederson stayed, and as much as they can credit their persuasion efforts Guardiola believes it ultimately came down to the highest bid they received only coming in at £25m. The club's policy has always been that players can leave if another club meets their valuation, and nobody came close with Ederson.

"He knew from day one I didn't want it, we didn't want it," said Guardiola. "But the truth, I'm going to tell the truth: the offer didn't come.

"The real offer, because they make an offer, but to be for the 'keeper, for the team who won four Premier Leagues in a row, they have a value, you know, have a price. Otherwise, he cannot leave.

"But if the offer can be gone, maybe he would not be here. So this is the truth."

Ederson has revolutionised goalkeeping in the Premier League since he arrived in 2017 as the belated successor to Joe Hart, his exceptional distribution skills and calmness on the ball giving City's possession-based football an edge that forced opponents to divert their attention. The 31-year-old has shown his continued quality this season with an assist for Erling Haaland in the Premier League win over Brentford.

It is interesting then that Guardiola still talks of Ederson in terms of his shot-stopping. City's manager has made no secret of how highly he rates Ortega in that area, but as much as he believes his No.1 is rising to that challenge - all of Ederson's saves against Fulham were ones that Ortega would typically make and be praised for - Guardiola still values Ederson for the more traditional side of the game.

"I think Stefan is, for me, one of the best players I've ever seen one against one. It's kind of hard to choose," the manager said.

"I think working with him, I'm pretty sure that Eddie get it. Of course, we have with [goalkeeping coaches] Xabi [Mancisidor] and Richard [Wright], this is an unbelievable coach, training coaches, the 'keepers, and make an incredible save in important moments of the game.

"At the end, the big 'keepers have to save these kind of actions. In the Champions League, I remember in certain moments, Eddie saved it. And when he didn't save it, we could not go through. At the moment, the 'keepers have to make these kind of actions to win games.

"Ederson is so strong. It can be an idea [to leave], but after when they change their mind in one second they say, 'OK, I'm here, I'm going to do my best'. "And of course, Ederson is an important player, but I always had the feeling that Stefan is an exceptional player. And sometimes Ederson has to have the feeling that he has to perform well, otherwise Stefan can't play.

"And this competition, a healthy competition, they have, because they respect and they have an incredible relation, make our team better."