Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 30 July 2025 6:30, UK

Sunderland are interested in signing Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega this summer.

As exclusively revealed by Mackem News on 27 July, Sunderland made an enquiry about Ortega, who is prioritising a stay in the Premier League.

Sunderland’s desire for a new goalkeeper this summer has been well-reported, but moves for Djordje Petrovic and Marcin Bulka failed earlier in the window.

With Ortega the latest name touted to replace Anthony Patterson, Mackem News has taken a deep dive into the two-time Premier League winner.

Why is Ortega leaving Manchester City?

Ortega’s Manchester City story started in 2022, when the German was signed on a free transfer following his departure from, then, Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld.

The 32-year-old was viewed as a back-up for Pep Guardiola’s first choice Ederson, and in his first season, performed exactly that role – making a handful of Premier League appearances and earning a Premier League winner’s medal for his efforts.

The following season saw Ortega play more, as his Brazilian teammate experienced fluctuations in form, and last season, the German played even more, making 13 league appearances.

But whilst Ederson was failing to impress, his replacement was not performing notably better while limited to periodic appearances.

That has led Manchester City to invest this summer, re-signing James Trafford from Burnley and opening the door to Ortega’s exit.

Ortega analysed – the numbers

To fairly pit Ortega up against his Premier League counterparts, we have to find goalkeepers in a similar environment.

The position between the sticks is perhaps the most team-affected on the pitch, given the variance in shots faced, possession, tactics, and control, all prompted by what team, and manager, the goalkeeper plays for.

With that being said, newly signed Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher could make for the perfect comparison.

The former Liverpool keeper played a similar amount of minutes for the Premier League champions last season, and, under Arne Slot, played for a team for which both playing out from the back and exerting control were integral.

Key insights:

• A long-passing specialist: Even in the closest comparison, differences emerge. Ortega, under instruction, went long with his passes far more than Kelleher but, impressively, retained a pass completion rate close to the Irishman.
• Save percentage is poor: Liverpool faced more shots than Manchester City last season, facing 10.13 per 90 compared to the Citizens’ 9.24, according to Fbref. That does not, however, go too far to explain the deficiency in save percentage. Unfortunately, this is a weakness in Ortega’s game.
• Quick off his line: Ortega outweighs Kelleher massively in the interceptions stat, which has been adjusted to respect each team’s respective possession stat. Despite both teams consistently boasting an impressively high line, Ortega excels far more at racing off his line to cut out an opponent’s through pass.

How Ortega’s strengths and weaknesses would apply to Regis Le Bris’ team would be easier to see once we have seen Sunderland in action in the Premier League.

The Frenchman has often liked to deploy a high-line, which would suit Ortega’s ability to go long and fly out of his box, but the level of opposition in the Premier League often forces teams back – as Southampton quickly learned last season.

But it can be strongly predicted that the German’s save percentage numbers would improve. Even the proudest Sunderland fan should accept that the team will face a lot of shots next season.

Final verdict: Would Ortega be a good signing for Sunderland?

The all-important answer to the all-important question often comes down to the transfer fee involved.

Should Manchester City allow Ortega to leave on a cut-price deal, then the German would certainly be a welcome addition at The Stadium of Light.

But there are red flags that the Black Cats should be wary of. Ortega would likely take up significant room on the wage bill, and his save percentage is less than ideal.

Ultimately, however, the German injects a healthy slice of exactly what Sunderland need – Premier League experience.

Sign up for the Mackem News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Sunderland AFC news sent straight to your phone.