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With Nick Pope’s injury, age and limitations, Newcastle United are in the market for a young goalkeeper and in talks to sign Burnley’s 21-year-old shot-stopper James Trafford.
After submitting our opening bid over the weekend, here’s a closer look at Trafford; a young talent who has divided opinion on social media, but a goalkeeper who I believe would be a brilliant signing.
Nick Pope is a great shot-stopper but we all know he has his limitations, particularly with the ball at his feet. With niggling injury concerns (December’s shoulder issues was Pope’s second serious shoulder problem), Loris Karius releases and Martin Dubravka expected to depart, we know that the club soon needs to bring in competition; preferably a GK that’s young, with high-elite potential and the capability to play with their feet.
With Tosin Adarabioyo choosing to join Chelsea, Newcastle will need to spend money on a right-sided centre-back, while moves for a top right-winger and striker are also expensive priorities. As a result, there’s likely to be less money to spend on an already elite number one. This means we need more of a back-up keeper who has potential to be our number one, rather than going for someone like Giorgi Mamardashvili; the Valencia stopper expected to cost £35-40m.
This leads us to James Trafford. It must firstly be said that yes, he was poor at Burnley at last season. There’s no denying it. However, he was a 21-year-old playing for the team who conceded the 2nd most shots in the league across 2023/24; an incredibly difficult challenge for the youngest starting goalkeeper in the Premier League last season. He was thrown in at the deep end in a poor, naive side and will be stronger for that experience.
Months before joining Burnley, Trafford starred in the U21 Euros, conceding ZERO goals on the way to winning the tournament alongside Anthony Gordon. He made a heroic double save, one of which was a penalty, in the last minutes of the final:
There are…
Source link : https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2024/06/11/why-james-trafford-could-be-a-brilliant-signing-for-newcastle-despite-early-concerns/
Author : TomTalksToon
Publish date : 2024-06-11 18:21:40
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