Ornstein Explains How Newcastle Let Trafford Deal Collapse | OneFootball

Newcastle’s Recruitment Crisis Deepens with Trafford Miss

Missed Opportunities at St James’ Park

James Trafford’s impending move to Manchester City has underlined a worrying pattern at Newcastle United this summer. As revealed by David Ornstein of The Athletic , the Magpies had a prime opportunity to sign the 22-year-old Burnley goalkeeper last month. Instead, they hesitated, and the deal slipped away.

Ornstein states that “Newcastle had an opportunity to sign James Trafford last month and beat Man City to a deal.” At the time, the Premier League champions “were ‘not considering’ a move” for the England prospect. This was before their Club World Cup duties, when Newcastle could have acted decisively.

The reality, however, was different. “Our bid was ‘too low’ at the time and only improved when it was too late,” Ornstein added, noting that City eventually stepped in and agreed a £27 million buy-back deal. To compound the embarrassment, “they reportedly left it until one hour before the official deadline to make their move and confirm Trafford rejoining them.”

Recurring Transfer Failures

The Trafford situation is not isolated. Newcastle have now endured their “sixth transfer miss of a miserable summer.” Once again, they identified a target, only to be outpaced by a rival with sharper intent. As one fan put it: “It’s been the same story all summer, Newcastle being linked with a player, establishing them as one of our ‘top targets’, before one of the league’s ‘Big Six’ has swooped in and signed them with very little fight from us.”

The interest in Trafford dated back to his relegation with Burnley, which makes the lack of action all the more baffling. “It’s astonishing to see how we’ve not ended up signing the future England No.1,” reads one of the most telling lines from the original report.

Transfer Market Inefficiencies

Newcastle’s failure to act decisively does not end with Trafford. Dean Huijsen moved to Real Madrid without resistance. Liam Delap, Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro, and Hugo Ekitike have all slipped through the net too. These aren’t just near-misses, they’re signs of systemic issues within the recruitment process.

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“It’s a damning indictment on the work of the recruitment team this summer,” the report continues. The fallout is potentially wider than just missing out on talent. “The lack of committed investment is a core reason why Alexander Isak is also looking to leave this summer.” In other words, recruitment failures now threaten the retention of elite players already at the club.

Questions for Ashworth and Co.

Dan Ashworth may be long gone, but the blueprint he left should have ensured continuity. That it hasn’t suggests either complacency or confusion in the post-Ashworth structure. There is a vacuum of execution, not ambition.

Ornstein’s report brings clarity to what fans have long feared: that opportunities are being wasted, and Newcastle are no longer operating with the edge that brought Champions League qualification so recently.

Our View – EPL Index

This report is frustrating but sadly predictable. We’ve now become the club that always gets linked, always enquires, and always comes up short. The Trafford deal is just the latest in a long line of “almosts” that are beginning to erode fan confidence.

It’s no good identifying talent if you’re not willing to close the deal. Trafford was clearly gettable, and the notion that Man City weren’t even thinking about him when we had our chance just rubs salt in the wound. How have we allowed this to happen again?

The bigger worry is the effect on the dressing room. Players like Isak, Bruno Guimarães and Sven Botman joined to be part of a project. If that project now looks underfunded or disorganised, why would they stick around? It’s not about spending wildly, it’s about being smart, aggressive, and proactive.

This summer feels like a turning point. Either the recruitment team wakes up and starts acting with purpose, or we risk undoing all the hard work that got us to this stage. Losing out to City is understandable. Losing by dithering is not.