James Trafford was confirmed as a new Manchester City player on Tuesday.
Man City have acquired Trafford as part of a £31m deal from Burnley, with the goalkeeper becoming Pep Guardiola’s sixth signing of the summer transfer window as the legendary coach plans for a very different campaign to the last one.
Trafford has admitted that Ederson is a player he looks up to, and throughout the upcoming season, the Englishman will support the Brazilian at the Etihad Stadium, and could even take over from the 31-year-old at some point should he really impress.
Hugo Viana is very happy with Man City’s latest addition, and there is one man the Sporting Director believes Trafford can learn from over the next 12 months.
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James Trafford will benefit from working with Pep Guardiola
It has been well documented that Trafford is returning to Man City after the 22-year-old left the Premier League giants in 2023 for Burnley.
Man City have brought the goalkeeper back for the long term, while the uncertainty over the futures of Ederson and Stefan Ortega has also prompted the Manchester club to move for the England international.
Speaking about the signing of Trafford, Viana feels the goalkeeper can become one of the best in the world, and thinks working with Guardiola will help the former Burnley star achieve this.
“James is already one of the most accomplished young goalkeepers in the English game, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Manchester City,” Viana told mancity.com.
“He has all the attributes a top-class goalkeeper requires. We feel he is an ideal fit for this squad and will bring great quality to the goalkeeping department.
“We fully believe he will be really successful and a top goalkeeper for Manchester City and the national team.
“I also have no doubt that working with Pep and the technical staff here at City will only see James further develop his abilities.”
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Goalkeepers Pep Guardiola has worked with
Trafford is similar to Ederson in many ways, as both are modern goalkeepers who are very good with the ball at their feet and have incredible composure.
During his eight years at City, Guardiola has helped the Brazilian become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and the 31-year-old is not the first.
During his time at Bayern Munich, the Spaniard worked with Manuel Neuer, who many believe is in the conversation to be the best goalkeeper of all time. The German excelled under Guardiola and kicked on further in the years after the legendary coach left.
At Barcelona, Victor Valdes was Guardiola’s number one and really benefited from working with the Spanish coach, as his style of play became heavily influenced by Barcelona’s possession-based football.
All these goalkeepers have done incredible things during their time with Guardiola, and Trafford will hope to be the next, as the 22-year-old will have an eye on the 2026 World Cup.
