Sports
Newcastle Plot January Move For ‘Top Class’ Premier League Star After Broken Promise
Newcastle United are expected to move for James Trafford once again in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.
The Magpies are making plans for next month as they look to improve on a somewhat disappointing start to the new season. After securing Champions League football last term, Eddie Howe had hoped to challenge at the top end of the Premier League table once again this time around. However, just five wins from 13 games means that Newcastle are sitting in 13th position in the table with real work to do.
As a result, signing top-quality new additions will be a real priority.
Newcastle To Revisit James Trafford Deal
Newcastle‘s January business could start with a fresh approach to signing Trafford. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Trafford is open to leaving Manchester City after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Hailed as being ‘top-class’ Trafford joined City in a deal worth £27million from Burnley after Pep Guardiola’s side exercised a matching rights clause to beat Newcastle to his signature in July. At the time, the 23-year-old was promised that he would be Man City’s first choice goalkeeper, but that changed when the club signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain.
As a result, Trafford has been limited to cup action and hasn’t started a Premier League game since August 31st. With that in mind, it’s understood that Newcastle are expected to return for him next month. However, the move could hinge on Stefan Ortega, who is also keen to leave Man City, with Guardiola unlikely to allow both goalkeepers to move on.
Trafford Move Would Put Newcastle In Tricky Spot
It’s clear that Newcastle see James Trafford as the perfect man to stand between the sticks moving forward and it’s not hard to see why, given his undoubted quality and personality. There’s no doubt that he would be a top signing. The problem for the Magpies is that they already have two excellent goalkeepers vying for the first team spot in Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale.
Pope has held the number one jersey for most of this season, but a series of mistakes led to calls for him to be replaced as number one. Intertwined with a groin injury to Pope, Ramsdale got his first opportunity in the Premier League on Saturday as he kept goal in the 4-1 win over Everton.
Should Trafford move to Tyneside, it would surely mean that Pope or Ramsdale move on. Pope is 33 years of age and if you speak to fans, he’s probably the most popular candidate to move on. That said, Ramsdale is currently on a season-long loan deal from Southampton which means that signing Trafford could be an upgrade and a permanent solution to the position.
It’s a difficult puzzle for Newcastle to navigate, but if Trafford is the man that they want as their number one, they’ll have to find a way.
‘Breaking News’ – Sky Sports: Newcastle ‘In Talks’ to Sign ‘World-Class’ Star
Newcastle United are in talks with Burnley to sign goalkeeper James Trafford this summer, according to Sky Sports News.
