6 transfer destinations for James Trafford to revive his career | OneFootball

Twelve months ago, James Trafford had just set a Championship record for clean sheets and was looking like the heir apparent to Jordan Pickford’s England throne.

A year on, though, and the 23-year-old has found his career progression stunted. A move to Manchester City to be No 1 became playing second fiddle upon the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Trafford’s playing time has been reduced to the cup competitions.

He will be back between the sticks this weekend as City face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final, but there is growing speculation that Trafford may leave the Etihad in the summer in favour of first-team football. Here are six suggestions for where he should pick.

Newcastle United

Newcastle’s admiration for Trafford is nothing new. They first tried to sign him in 2024, getting as far as agreeing personal terms before talks broke down with Burnley.

Last summer, they had agreed a deal with club and player but a stipulation in City’s selling of Trafford to Burnley stated the Etihad team had the option to match any accepted bid.

And despite being burned twice before, Newcastle are reportedly back in for Trafford a third time.

This summer looks like one of rebuilding for Newcastle and the goalkeeper spot is an area in particular need of focus. Long-term servant Nick Pope is 34 now while on-loan Aaron Ramsdale has not done much to suggest that a deal should be made permanent.

Moving to St James’ then would be a clear path to first-team football but there is the question of who will be in charge come the first game of next season. Eddie Howe’s job looks increasingly unsure and so Trafford may want to wait for clarity on that before making any decisions.

Aston Villa

A perhaps more attractive proposition would be Aston Villa who look set to qualify for the Champions League once more.

They too have a need to rejuvenate the goalkeeper spot with Emi Martinez looking likely to leave last summer and Trafford would be a good option to fill that void.

From the player’s perspective, he will be working under one of the best managers in the league and even though PSR stops them from spending, the Villa owners are not short of cash. A move to the Midlands could be the perfect choice to restart his career.

Juventus

Football is not just the Premier League though and Trafford may well look abroad, although he might want to take a warning from another Manchester City stopper.

When Pep Guardiola decided he didn’t fancy him, Joe Hart moved to Italy and Torino but instead of enhancing his reputation, it seemingly confirmed he was no longer one of the best keepers in the game.

Now with Trafford linked to Juventus, there are a few differences between him and Hart. Firstly, Hart was on the come down in his career while Trafford is still on the up and being a goalkeeper at Juventus is very different to being a keeper at Torino.

It could be an option but Premier League players are often hesitant to leave the league.

Tottenham Hotspur

This option comes with a big if next to it and it is if Tottenham Hotspur are still in the Premier League next season.

If they do survive, the thinking is surely they can’t be as bad as this season and with Roberto Di Zerbi, they look to have a competent manager in charge at least.

In terms of their current options, Guglielmo Vicario was touted as one of the top three keepers in the league not long ago but has suffered a remarkable collapse in form and has seemingly fallen out with the Tottenham fans.

Trafford would be seen as a welcome arrival then but it is one to treat with caution as Spurs still look a very unstable club.

Chelsea

Speaking of unstable clubs – Chelsea.

Despite BlueCo signing more than five keepers since arriving as Chelsea owners, none of them seem very good.

Robert Sanchez is the current No 1 but has a mistake in him while Liam Rosenior’s decision to drop him in favour of Filip Jorgensen was said to be one of the reasons he lost the support of the players.

Trafford would be an upgrade but if you’re a player, there is a question on why you would risk going to modern-day Chelsea. For most, it is money but from a chance to improve on your game and grow in a stable environment, Trafford would be best to swerve any advances from the West London club.

Liverpool

Another club linked with a move for Trafford is Liverpool with reports suggesting Alisson could be off to Serie A.

But if Trafford did make the short trip to Merseyside, it is hard to see how he would not be stuck in a similar situation to the one he currently finds himself in.

Liverpool spent £25m on Giorgi Mamardashvili which is not the kind of money you spend on a backup and while Trafford may back himself to win the No 1 spot, at this stage in his career, he cannot risk not having guaranteed first-team football.

An offer from Liverpool would be tempting but moving to Villa or Newcastle would make more sense for the ex-Burnley man.