Tottenham are seeking a replacement for current No.1 Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham Hotspur headed into the winter transfer window with a clear objective of strengthening Thomas Frank’s squad as much as possible. By the end of the transfer window, it became clear that the board has failed to deliver yet again.
Conor Gallagher was quickly brought in once the club bosses learnt about Rodrigo Bentancur’s long-term hamstring injury. Surprisingly, Gallagher turned out to be the only first-team signing for Spurs. Teenage left-back Souza was also brought in from Santos, but he is unlikely to feature heavily for Thomas Frank’s side.
Amid Spurs’ defensive problems, they scoured the market for reinforcements. Guglielmo Vicario’s shaky performances in goal has also led to the team conceding several cheap goals. He has been criticised for his howlers and poor judgement by the fans. Vicario was booed by the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful for his disastrous performance in the 2-1 home loss to Fulham back in December.
With Vicario planning to leave N17 at the end of the season, Tottenham have been working behind the scenes to replace him. Reports from December suggested that Spurs were interested in signing Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford. But Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was reluctant to let the Englishman depart, ruling out the possibility of any January move.
Tottenham face Premier League battle to sign James Trafford
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham are set to face competition from Leeds United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa to sign James Trafford in the summer.
James Trafford re-joined Man City from Burnley last summer after establishing himself as one of the world’s best young goalkeepers. He was pivotal in Burnley’s Premier League promotion-winning campaign, which prompted the Sky Blues to sign the 23-year-old. However, the Englishman has fallen down the pecking order after City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
This has limited Trafford to appearances in domestic cup competitions, and as a result, he could be on the lookout for newer pastures at the end of the season. At 23, he should be playing week in, week out to unlock his high potential, but Donnarumma’s presence as City’s No.1 makes it highly unlikely.
Tottenham’s interest in the City glovesman is understandable. Thomas Frank requires reliability, composure, commanding presence and Premier League experience in goal, and Trafford would provide those. Signing the former England Under-21 international would hand Frank a solid No.1 for years to come in N17 as well as an instant upgrade on the error-strewn Vicario.
If Trafford wants to rise in his career, he will have to leave City for the second time. And Spurs could provide the Carlisle-born talent with the platform to start afresh and establish himself in the Premier League. However, signing City’s No.2 would not be easy for Tottenham due to interest from Leeds, Newcastle and Villa.