It is fair to say that Newcastle United hit the jackpot when they paid £45m to sign Anthony Gordon from Premier League rivals Everton in January 2023.
The 25-year-old forward went on to score 39 goals and provide 28 assists in 152 appearances in all competitions for the club, including a return of ten goals in 18 matches in the Champions League.
They took a risk on the young winger when they decided to pay £45m for him over three years ago, as he had only scored seven goals in 78 games for Everton after coming through their academy system.
anthony-gordon-newcastle-sunderland
That risk paid off big time, though, as he delivered plenty of goals and assists for Eddie Howe's side in both the Premier League and the Champions League over the years.
He also contributed to a major trophy being won by the Magpies, with two goals and one assist in six games on the way to winning the League Cup in the 2024/25 campaign.
Newcastle have made a significant profit on the England international by selling him to Barcelona for a fee of £70m, £25m more than they paid Everton for his services over three years ago.
Now, the club are reportedly looking at another young English talent from a Premier League team who could arrive at St. James' Park to follow in Gordon's footsteps.
Anthony Gordon joins Barcelona
According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Newcastle United have reignited their interest in a deal to sign Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford in the summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that they have made contact with the Premier League giants about a potential move for the England international, although they have yet to enter formal talks to bring him to Tyneside.
Manchester City's James Trafford celebrates winning the FA Cup
Newcastle missed out on a deal to sign the shot-stopper from Burnley last summer, as City won the race for his signature, but they are now hoping that the second time is the charm, with Ornstein stating that they have a firm desire to sign him.
It has been reported elsewhere this month, though, that City are looking for a fee of around £40m for the goalkeeper, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Magpies are prepared to pay that much for his signature.
£40m may seem like a lot of money for a goalkeeper, but so did £45m for Gordon in 2023 and he ended up being a phenomenal signing for the club.
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Trafford ended up being behind Gianluigi Donnarumma at The Etihad and found his chances limited under Pep Guardiola, but the English stopper impressed in his rare opportunities to start in goal.
In his four appearances in the Premier League, the 23-year-old star prevented 2.53 more goals than expected with his outstanding shot-stopping ability and completed eight sweeping actions.
25/26 PL Trafford per 90 Rank vs GKs
Saves 3.50 Top 13%
Save success rate 70% Top 26%
Goals prevented +0.63 Top 1%
Acted as sweeper 2.00 Top 1%
Pass accuracy 74% Top 24%
Clean sheets 0.25 Top 47%
He ranked among the top 1% of goalkeepers in the division for goals prevented and sweeping actions per 90, whilst Nick Pope ranked in the bottom 13% for goals prevented per 90 (-0.13) for Newcastle.
This suggests that City's second-choice has the potential to arrive as a big upgrade on Pope, certainly as a shot-stopper, which may be why Thomas Tuchel selected him in his England squad ahead of the Magpies number one.
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Whilst the £40m-rated star did not get much game time in the Premier League, Trafford was Guardiola's number one in both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
The Newcastle target kept seven clean sheets in 12 appearances across both competitions, including clean sheets in both finals against Arsenal and Chelsea, and saved a penalty in a clean sheet against Liverpool in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.
He stepped up in big games and in big moments to help City to win two trophies, which suggests that the English star is more than ready to play under the pressure of being a regular starter at St. James' Park in the Premier League.
Trafford could be a fantastic signing as Howe's new number one, given his outstanding shot-stopping statistics and his experience at the top level with City this season.
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He needs a platform to show his quality week-in-week-out, as Gordon did when he joined the club in 2023, and signing for the Magpies could be the next step on his journey to becoming one of the world's best.
A £40m deal for Trafford could look cheap, as £45m for Gordon does now, if he arrives on Tyneside and delivers consistently impressive performances between the sticks year-on-year, which is why the club must push to get this deal done this summer.
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