Why Did Man City Buy Back a Goalkeeper They Sold Two Years Ago?

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Goalkeeper block

In July 2023, Manchester City sold their highly rated young goalkeeper James Trafford to Burnley for a fee of £15m (that could rise to £19m with add-ons), making the then-20-year-old the third most expensive British goalkeeper in history. And now, just two years later, Pep Guardiola’s City have splashed out a reported £27m plus add-ons (that could push it up to £31m) to re-sign the player. So what’s going on?

In this article, we’ll take a look back at the short but highly impressive career James Trafford has enjoyed to date. We’ll also attempt to understand why Man City felt compelled to effectively take a £12m loss on a player who they might have kept on their books instead.

Who Is James Trafford?

James Trafford
James Trafford (Credit Timmy96 via Wikipedia)

Born into a farming family in Cockermouth, Cumbria back in October 2002 (wow, that makes us feel old!), James Harrington Trafford started playing with his local team before joining Carlisle United’s academy. Initially an outfield player, Trafford reportedly switched to playing between the sticks when nine years old, and that decision has certainly paid off. He soon came to the attention of Manchester City scouts, and he switched to their academy when he was 11.

During his initial spell at City, Trafford grew into a very fine goalkeeper… and he also grew very tall: he’s now 6ft 6in. Although he never broke into the City senior team, he made two appearances for their under-23 side in the League Cup in the 2020/21 season. But he was sent out on loan to build up his experience, first to Accrington Stanley, for whom he made 11 appearances in League One, and then to Bolton Wanderers.

It was at Bolton that Trafford began to shine, and in May 2022 he broke into the England U21 squad, and made his debut in a 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Kosovo, which England won 5-0. It was the first of many clean sheets Trafford would keep for the under-21s.

Starring Role at Under-21 Euros

James Trafford really broke into the public consciousness (at least among football fans) after his exceptional displays during the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania. Under the guidance of Lee Carsley, England negotiated a tricky group with great consistency: three 2-0 victories, against Czech Republic, Israel and Germany.

They then beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarters before a 3-0 triumph against Israel in the semis. In a tight and tactical final, the Young Lions overcame a very good Spain side 1-0 to win the tournament. In the final, Trafford really proved his worth to the team as he saved a penalty in injury time… and reacted brilliantly to stop the rebound too!

The eagle-eyes among you will have noticed something quite remarkable about England’s path to glory… they – and hence James Trafford, who was in goal for every game – didn’t concede a single goal. That was the first time a keeper had kept clean sheets in every game in the tournament’s history, and his stock rose dramatically as a result.

Continues Fine Progress at Burnley

Although Man City rated Trafford highly, they didn’t see him as quite ready to challenge Ederson for the number one spot. As such, Pep and co decided it would be in the club’s interests to simply cash-in on the young star. Soon after returning from his glorious U21 Euros tournament, Trafford was sold for £15m to Burnley. Sadly for Trafford, his Burnley and Premier League debut wasn’t brilliant: his new side lost 3-0 at home to the team that sold him, Man City.

Still, Trafford knuckled down and put in plenty of brilliant performances over the course of the season. Sadly it wasn’t enough to keep Burnley in the top flight and they got relegated to the Championship. It was during Burnley’s successful 2024/25 campaign in the second tier that the player really showed how good he has become. Over the course of 46 league games, Burnley conceded just 16 goals, which was a new Football League record.

A good deal of defensive success came from Trafford’s excellent performances in goal as he kept 29 clean sheets across the 45 league games in which he played. He also had a save percentage of 84.47%, which is ludicrously high (and compares well to City’s current number one, Ederson, who achieved 67.09% in 2024/25).

Newcastle Bid Triggers Man City’s Shrewd Clause


It was inevitable that a player of Trafford’s quality would be on the radars of plenty of top-flight clubs. And it was no surprise when Newcastle came in with a £27m bid for the player recently. Whoever negotiated the deal when City sold Trafford should be given a pat on the back, as they included not one but two clauses. First, they had a buy-back option on Trafford to give City first refusal if he decided to leave Burnley. In addition, they also included a “matching rights” clause that meant they could pay the same amount offered by another club, in this case Newcastle’s £27m.

Trafford is reportedly extremely happy to be back at City, and he’s eager to prove he deserves to be a regular starter. He’s been handed the number one shirt, but not much should be read into that given Ederson has worn the 31 shirt since he joined City. But with the Brazilian’s contract set to expire at the end of the current season, the club have at the very least purchased a worthy successor, but we think he might unseat the current number one this side of Christmas.

Could Trafford Be England’s Next Great Keeper?


As well as becoming the top goalkeeper for Man City, we think it won’t be long before he’s the primary choice for England too. Although he’s yet to make his full England debut, he’s been in the youth sides from U17 to U21. Jordan Pickford still has some years left in him, but we think Trafford is already sneaking ahead of Dean Henderson for the role as the Everton man’s understudy. And if he can break into the Man City first and prove his worth, he is bound to be given a starting place by Thomas Tuchel sooner rather than later.