As rumours swirl around Newcastle United’s goalkeeper situation, it seems the club has already made a decision on James Trafford.
It has not been a good season for the Newcastle United goalkeepers. Nick Pope is currently injured, and he’s been slammed for making mistakes in recent weeks.
Let’s say Newcastle have a January transfer budget of £100m. How are you spending it?
Meanwhile, in his absence, Aaron Ramsdale has come in for criticism from fans for his display against Spurs in midweek.
So, where do the Magpies go from here? Supporters want James Trafford to come in as soon as possible, but that might not be possible.
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Newcastle are not looking at goalkeepers yet
Earlier this week, it was thought Newcastle would go in for Trafford in January. That’s after they missed out on the signing in the summer, with Man City winning the race.
Now, though, a fresh report from FlashScore suggests the chances of Trafford joining next month are ‘slim’ and it’s even said Newcastle are not overly interested in signing him, at least for now.
It’s said Tottenham are also looking at Trafford, but the feeling from within Man City is that Trafford will stay put. The fact he is below Gianluigi Donnarumma is only what was expected when the two players were signed, and it’s believed City made no promises about Trafford’s game time.
Essentially, it all depends on whether City want to let him go. But, at least according to this report, that’s not necessarily the case, even if Newcastle were keen to sign him now.
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How does James Trafford compare to Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale?
While it would be unfair to contrast James Trafford’s displays this season with that of Pope and Ramsdale, we can look back at his most recent stint in the top flight when he played for Burnley.
Across 28 Premier League appearances in 2023/24, Trafford conceded 62 goals. But, he did register a 62% save ratio which, considering how much pressure Burnley were under that season, is pretty impressive.
For context, Ramsdale has a 42.9% save ratio this season while Pope does have a superior 74.5% save success.
| Stats | James Trafford | Aaron Ramsdale | Nick Pope |
| Games | 6 | 5 | 17 |
| Goals conceded | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| Clean sheets | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Save % | 68.4% | 70.6% | 77.6% |
Trafford struggled for clean sheets two seasons ago, with just two for Burnley. But, the young stopper did keep 29 clean sheets in the Championship last season and already has two this season in just six appearances for City.
Ramsdale only has one clean sheet this term, while Pope has eight in all competitions.
On paper, it would seem Pope is still the best option for Newcastle, and once he’s fit he will likely slip into that number one spot again.
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