James Trafford must have been slightly shocked when Manchester City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG in September.
The England international had only just sealed a £31m move from Burnley in July – rejecting Newcastle in the process – and presumably expected to be the No.1 as Ederson prepared to leave for Fenerbahce.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has since snatched the No.1 position from James Trafford – and the Italy international has now made a very interesting comment to Gazzetta dello Sport.
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James Trafford might be having second thoughts over Newcastle move as Gianluigi Donnarumma expresses his love for Manchester City
The Italian has only been at the Etihad Stadium for a matter of weeks, but he wants to stay as long as he possibly can.
Donnarumma – who signed a contract running until July 2030 – said: “I feel at home at City, even though it’s only been a short time since I moved there. They wanted me firmly, they made me feel important, and now they already consider me one of them.
“When you listen to him (Pep Guardiola) you’re enchanted. I imagined it like this, but the reality is even better than I imagined. I hope to stay in Manchester as long as possible, to have a truly unique experience.”
It is now up to Trafford to decide – at the age of 23 – whether he wants to spend the next five years as a backup, or pursue a career as a No.1 elsewhere.
TBR Football understand Trafford is already open to a loan move this winter – suggesting he does intend to step out from the shadow of Donnarumma and become the main glovesman somewhere.
Newcastle have left the door open to James Trafford
Interestingly, Eddie Howe did not commit to signing an alternative to Trafford after losing out to Manchester City.
Newcastle signed Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton for the 2025/26 campaign as a backup for Nick Pope with no obligation to make the deal permanent.
It means – should Trafford signal a desire to join Newcastle – the Magpies can send Ramsdale back in the summer and explore a permanent deal for the City Football Academy graduate, who also has his England career to think about with Dean Henderson currently pushing Jordan Pickford hard.