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He'd be a dream with Scalvini: Newcastle very close to signing £30m star

1 week ago 3

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An extremely busy transfer window is forecast at Newcastle United, even if it has been very quiet so far.

Two seasons ago, when they first qualified for the Champions League under Eddie Howe, the Magpies really struggled to balance both domestic and continental commitments, finishing bottom of an admittedly nightmare group, while also failing to qualify for Europe again via the Premier League.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe

A year on, now back in UEFA's top-tier tournament, Howe will require reinforcements, needing a bigger squad to compete on multiple fronts, so could some new signings arrive on Tyneside this week?

Newcastle's search for signings

As has been widely reported, Newcastle look poised sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, confident a deal will be finalised soon.

Meantime, the Magpies are interested in signing Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini, who has been described as 'their top target', with the 21-year-old valued at £30m by la Dea.

On top of all this, a report by Dominic Scurr of the Shields Gazette now states that Newcastle are "very close" to agreeing a deal with Burnley to sign goalkeeper James Trafford.

They add that a disagreement over a fee has led to 'some complications', but considering the player is 'very keen' to move to Tyneside, a deal is expected to be finalised, costing around £30m, making Trafford the most-expensive English goalkeeper of all time.

English goalkeepers to move for £10m+

Players

Year

Selling club

Buying club

Fee

All information courtesy of Transfermarkt

James Trafford*

2025

Burnley

Newcastle

£30m

Aaron Ramsdale

2021

Sheffield United

Arsenal

£28m

Jordan Pickford

2017

Sunderland

Everton

£25m

Aaron Ramsdale

2024

Arsenal

Southampton

£25m

Dean Henderson

2023

Manchester United

Crystal Palace

£20m

Aaron Ramsdale

2020

Bournemouth

Sheffield United

£18.5m

James Trafford

2023

Manchester City

Burnley

£15m

Fraser Forster

2014

Celtic

Southampton

£10m

Sam Johnstone

2024

Crystal Palace

Wolves

£10m

Nick Pope

2022

Burnley

Newcastle

£10m

*subject to being finalised.

Given the outlay, Trafford is surely moving to Newcastle to be number one, usurping another former Burnley man Nick Pope in the pecking order, while the Magpies are certainly well stocked when it comes to goalkeepers, considering Martin Dúbravka, Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie are all already on their books.

How James Trafford will improve Newcastle

The 22-year-old is certainly a highly-rated player, with his current manager Scott Parker describing Trafford as "a world-class goalkeeper", following the Clarets' 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road against Watford in April.

England's Jarell Quansah, James Trafford and Taylor Harwood-Bellis line up before the match

Meantime, Andy Jones of the Athletic labels him a 'near-impenetrable brick wall', praising his ability to 'anticipate danger and neutralise threats', while noting that 'Trafford has high ambitions', namely aiming to become England's number one.

Mark Carey of the Athletic described his performances for Burnley in the EFL Championship last season as 'insane', so let's assess if the statistics support this assertion.

Trafford's 2024/25 Championship statistics

Statistics

Trafford

Championship rank

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

Goals against

16

1st*

Shots on target faced

103

20th

Saves

85

15th

Save %

84.5%

1st

Clean sheets

29

1st

Clean sheet %

64.4%

1st

% of penalties saved

100.0%

1st

Post-shot xG - goals conceded

+11.8

2nd

Pass completion %

73.3%

6th**

*minimum 1,000 minutes played. **amongst goalkeepers

As the table outlines, Trafford was certainly the most impressive goalkeeper in the Championship last season, with his tally of 29 clean sheets the most any side have enjoyed in a single Football League season ever, surpassing the previous record set by Port Vale in 1953/54.

So why will he be such an exciting addition for Newcastle and for potential, future teammate Scalvini?

Well, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels the Italian "one of the most talented" centre-backs aged 21 or under in Europe, while Akhilesh Ashok of Total Football Analysis praises Scalvini's 'on-ball ability' as well as his prowess at winning 'physical battles', making him the perfect 'modern-day central defender'.

In possession, Trafford is a clear upgrade on the man he is replacing Pope, while Scalvini can help alleviate the young goalkeeper's weaknesses, namely that he can be bullied at set-pieces and when it comes to high claims, hence why the duo could form a formidable defensive partnership.

sandro-tonali-newcastle-premier-league (2)

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