Everton are currently enjoying a new lease of life with David Moyes back and a brand new stadium, but had the club been relegated in 2023 things might have been very different.
Not only would the Toffees have spent at least one season in the Championship, but there would very likely have been a significant change in personnel.
The 2022-23 campaign was a tough one for Everton as they were truly part of the relegation battle, with Frank Lampard in charge for the first half of the season, and Sean Dyche the second.
Ultimately, Everton managed to avoid the drop, but had they gone down then a current member of the Manchester City squad would have ended up moving to Merseyside.
Everton were set to sign James Trafford if they were relegated in 2023
When speaking to talkSPORT, Everton writer Dom King revealed that current Manchester City shot-stopper James Trafford almost ended up joining the club in the summer of 2023.
“There was an opportunity two years ago when there was talk of Manchester United. Manchester United had had an eye on taking him [Pickford] if Everton had gone down in 2023. There was a situation being discussed where Pickford would have ended up at Manchester United, and James Trafford would have ended up at Everton.
“Because there was a recognition ahead of a European Championship season that Everton wouldn’t have been able to keep him in the championship before he was going to a major tournament.”
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Ultimately, Jordan Pickford’s individual performances were a big factor in Everton not being relegated that season. Despite their struggles, Everton kept eight clean sheets.
Meanwhile, at international level, Pickford has remained the first choice goalkeeper still to this day, having now kept nine clean sheets in a row for the Three Lions.
Interestingly, Charlie Austin questioned why Manchester United didn’t sign Pickford this past summer due to their goalkeeping issues, with the England star now being seen as one of the Premier League’s most reliable hands.
James Trafford might have benefited from joining Everton over Manchester City
Even though Trafford had a fantastic 2024-25 campaign for Burnley, a move to Everton might have been beneficial for his career compared to what ended up happening.
Pep Guardiola’s side signed Trafford this past summer for £27million, and most fans presumed he was going to replace Ederson at the Etihad Stadium.
However, things haven’t worked out that way as the Premier League giants also bought Gianluigi Donnarruma, which has restricted Trafford’s playing time.
Statistic Games Played Goals Conceded Clean Sheets Minutes Played
James Trafford 4 4 2 360′
James Trafford’s 2025-26 Man City stats
The talented goalkeeper has effectively become the second choice, and that has led to question marks over his development and future, which wouldn’t have been the case had he replaced Pickford several years ago.