James Trafford loving life in the Championship

The difference between the Championship and the Premier League is huge. It has been evident in the development of James Trafford, the best goalkeeper so far this season on the islands and in much of the Old Continent.

The 22-year-old England keeper has conceded just nine goals in 23 appearances and welcomes 2025 in a very different way to the way he looked forward to 2024. Then, also at Burnley, he was one of the worst goalkeepers in the English top flight.

In the first 23 official games of the 2023-24 campaign, the Carlisle-born player, capped at every youth level in England, had already conceded 47 goals. A difference of 38 goals which, beyond the obvious contrast in level between leagues, confirms the growth of a player trained in the Manchester City youth academy and who aspires to be the future England first-choice goalkeeper when Jordan Pickford's spell in charge comes to an end.

In his short career, Trafford has already accumulated a prestigious title such as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2023, in which he saved a penalty in the final against Spain. He also won the EFL Trophy with Bolton in 2023.

The burly goalkeeper, who is around 2 metres tall, came through the youth ranks at Manchester City, but never made his first-team debut in an official match. Ederson and Stefan Ortega closed the doors of the first team, but it is surprising that the Cityzens have not kept him as a gamble for the future.

After going out on loan to Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers in League One in the 2021-22 season, he returned to the same team in the 2022-23 season, also putting in some great performances in the English third tier.

The leap from League One to the Premier League was too big for him, which is why Burnley withdrew him from the starting line-up midway through the 2023-24 season, when he had conceded 62 goals in 28 games.

At the Clarets he was already an asset to the club, given that Burnley paid just over 17 million euros to sign him. Now, with his first-team place in the starting line-up and a great performance for the Turf Moor side in the Championship, there are questions surrounding his departure from the Etihad.

Neither Ederson nor Ortega are youngsters and with Trafford, who if he continues to perform well will soon make his England debut, it seemed that the goalkeeping for Guardiola's side was more than assured.

To add further controversy to this Manchester City sale, Trafford started out as an outfield player, hence his more than decent footwork. As an adult, the goalkeeper has been noted for his good reflexes and achieved the milestone of finishing Euro 2023 without conceding a goal.

If he maintains this form, Trafford will not last long at Burnley, where he arrived in a transfer that made him the third most expensive English goalkeeper in history. His career, therefore, is set to break multiple records, not only on the pitch but also in monetary terms.