James Trafford
James Trafford
Another goalkeeper, really? Yet there is a reason why Newcastle United have retained a strong interest in Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford. This is a player who looks destined to become an England number one in the right hands.
Newcastle's recruitment team have long recognised that - even after the 22-year-old's bruising debut season in the Premier League. A campaign which saw .
It was rather telling that Trafford bounced back, however, after Burnley were relegated. The goalkeeper equalled the record for the most clean sheets (29) in English football; recorded the most consecutive shutouts (12) in Championship history; conceded just 16 goals; and saved a whopping 84.5% of the shots he faced as Burnley won promotion back to the top-flight.
Rather than being shaken by his first taste of the top-flight, Trafford used that experience to get even better.
"We got relegated," he told the Fozcast a few days ago. "It's part of football but, from a development point of view, it was something that I look back on that was brilliant."
Few players can take such positives after going down, but there is a steeliness to Trafford. After his move to Newcastle fell through last summer, for instance, Trafford continued to work 'extremely hard' behind the scenes at Burnley.
The goalkeeper did likewise after being dropped by former boss Vincent Kompany a few months earlier. To the point where Trafford spent up to an hour doing extras after training every day.
"It was tough to process but, at the end of the day, it's the team that's the biggest thing," he said.
You can bet those words have not gone unnoticed by Newcastle's recruitment team. In truth, they won't have come as a surprise given the extensive character checks the club have already carried out on Trafford in the last 12 months or so.
As much as Eddie Howe wants to strengthen his side this summer, the Newcastle boss also wants to ensure he brings the right personalities into a tight-knit dressing room. That is particularly important when it comes to recruiting goalkeepers, who spend more time together than any other unit.
Only one player can obviously line up between the posts and shot-stoppers have to support each other as well as push each other - just as veterans Martin Dubravka and Nick Pope have. The alternative? Well, it's particularly devastating for squad harmony.
However, Trafford's character is one of his strengths. For a stickler like Howe, it is every bit as important as the England hopeful's ability to play out from the back.
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