Biggest talent since Raphinha: Leeds look set to sign £45m star
4 days ago
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Published Jul 27, 2026, 5:10 PM GMT+1
Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor, having worked in the football media industry for over a decade.
After voluntarily writing for Fresh Press for two years, helping to build and establish the Read brand, Daniel started a part-time job with Fresh Press that later turned into a full-time writing and editing role, writing for club-specific pages such as Read Norwich, Read Celtic, Read Liverpool, and Read Arsenal.
Daniel spent just shy of a year writing and editing for Liverpool-based website, Anfield Watch, which included conducting and/or transcribing interviews with Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, and journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Since the summer of 2021, Daniel has worked for Snack Media (now Valnet) and has been a contributor to Football FanCast, on a freelance and full-time basis, as a writer and editor.
Daniel is a Norwich City fan and season ticket holder. He has been heard on BBC Norfolk and helped DAZN with research for their commentary due to his knowledge of the club, along with being featured in several local papers across the country, including the Coventry Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo, for Norwich-related content.
Daniel's knowledge extends to Scottish football, having covered Celtic and Rangers for several years. He particularly enjoys producing player analysis and producing transfer content.
Leeds United know that they have to be ambitious in the transfer market if they want to kick on and push for European football in the 2026/27 campaign.
The Whites lost central defender Pascal Struijk to Brighton & Hove Albion for £20m earlier this summer, but his exit opened the door for the club to splash £34m on the signing of Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo.
Harry Wilson has also joined the club on a free transfer from Fulham, after scoring ten goals in the Premier League last season, and they are in talks to sign Julian Brandt after his departure from Borussia Dortmund.
Their ambition should be to find players who can go on to be elite players in the future, as they did when they signed Raphinha from Rennes in 2020.
How Raphinha became a success story at Leeds United
Victor Orta splashed out a fee of £17m to sign the Brazilian attacker from Rennes after Marcelo Bielsa led the side to the Premier League, but his form in France did not suggest that he would be guaranteed success at Elland Road.
Raphinha
19/20 (L1)
20/21 (PL
Appearances
22
30
Touches per game
49.0
52.4
Goals
5
6
Key passes per game
2.0
2.1
Big chances created
8
12
Assists
3
9
Successful dribbles per game
2.2
1.9
After a return of five goals and three assists in Ligue 1 in the 2019/20 campaign, Leeds still had to help the left-footed magician to take the next step in his career.
Bielsa did exactly that by playing a system that got the best out of the forward, who had more touches of the ball per match in the Argentine manager's 4-1-4-1 formation than he did in France with Rennes.
Essentially, Raphinha became a success at Elland Road because he was provided with the platform and opportunity that he needed to emerge as a star, which then earned him a big-money move to an elite club.
After a return of 17 goals and 23 'big chances' created in two Premier League seasons, the winger completed a club-record £55m move to Barcelona in the summer of 2022, and no Leeds player has been sold for as much as that since him.
Leeds closing in on their biggest talent since Raphinha
The West Yorkshire outfit, though, are now looking at a new signing who would arrive for the biggest fee the club have seen, in or out, since 2022.
The Daily Mail reports that Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford is set to sign for Leeds United before the end of the summer transfer window.
Daniel Farke's side are expected to complete a deal for the shot-stopper in a move that is said to be worth up to £45m, which would smash the current club-record £35.5m signing of Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim in 2023.
The outlet adds that the England international is currently negotiating a release clause as part of the move, though, so that he can be allowed to join an elite club in the future if the opportunity arises.
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
A fee of £45m would make Trafford the second-most expensive Leeds player of all time, accounting for signings and sales, and their most expensive since Raphinha joined Barcelona for £55m in 2022.
Whilst a transfer fee is not an exact assessment of a player's talent, the money that Leeds are willing to pay for him suggests that they view the stopper as a top-level talent who could go on to be an elite performer like Raphinha.
Trafford (25/26)
League Cup
FA Cup
Appearances
6
6
Clean sheets
4
3
Goals conceded
2
3
Save percentage
87%
80%
Goals prevented
+1.81
+2.14
Pass accuracy
69%
81%
The 23-year-old titan's performances for City in the League Cup and the FA Cup last season suggest that he could be their biggest talent since the Brazil international, as he played a crucial role in winning two trophies for Pep Guardiola.
Trafford saved over 80% of the shots on his goal across 12 appearances in both competitions, preventing 3.95 more goals than expected, which shows that he can deliver top-quality performances under pressure in big matches.
He saved a penalty and kept a clean sheet in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, made an incredible double save and kept a clean sheet against Arsenal in the League Cup final, and kept a clean sheet in the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Trafford delivered big saves in big moments against big teams, which suggests that he could be a terrific performer for Leeds, whose number one, Karl Darlow, conceded 1.50 more goals than expected in the league last term.
The Whites could benefit from an unfortunate situation for the shot-stopper because he is a top talent who has been left on the sidelines due to Manchester City having Gianluigi Donnarumma, the reigning The Best FIFA Goalkeeper.
Trafford, given his exceptional performances for City in the cup competitions last season, has the potential to develop into an elite talent with the platform that Leeds could provide him.
He could, therefore, be the club's biggest talent since Raphinha by coming to Elland Road to showcase his quality on a regular basis, before possibly being sold for big money in the future.
4 days ago
10
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
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