Tottenham are ready to make a move for Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford amid the poor form of Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham Ready To Move For James Trafford
Manchester City stopper James Trafford is drawing interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs are keen on signing the England international, who rejoined the Cityzens from Burnley for £31m in the summer, on loan during the upcoming January transfer window.
Trafford was expected to be City’s number one for the 2025-26 season, having been named Championship Player of the Year after achieving 29 clean sheets in 45 games last term.
However, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival threw a major spanner in the works in that regard.
The 23-year-old started and impressed in the Cityzens’ first three Premier League matches this term, but following the signing of Donnarumma, he has been reduced to cup appearances only.
Since September, Trafford has started just three games for his club.
Two of those came in Carabao Cup victories over Huddersfield and Swansea, and the most recent came in a 2-0 Champions League defeat by Bayer Leverkusen last month.
Tottenham are offering him a way out, with consistent game time a real possibility in the capital.
This is due to the poor form of Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian has been at fault for several goals this term, with fans growing frustrated by his consistently underwhelming performances.
In their most recent outing, a shocking 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest, he was at fault for the opener. His loose pass put Archie Gray under pressure, who then lost the ball, before Callum Hudson-Odoi converted to put Sean Dyche’s team in front at the City Ground.
Supporters have called for Vicario to be dropped following a string of ‘unacceptable’ showings.
The 29-year-old could now be sold, with both Milan and Inter interested in landing him.
Should he depart, a loan move for Trafford makes sense for all parties this winter.
Spurs are keen on improving on their current goalkeeping options, City want the player to continue his development, and Trafford is eager for first-team game time at the highest level.
Trafford Keen On Loan To Boost England Hopes
Trafford hopes that a transfer in January will boost his England chances for the World Cup.
Despite his lack of game time, he was included in Thomas Tuchel’s recent squad for November’s internationals against Serbia and Albania, however this was due to an injury to Nick Pope.
Pope was forced to withdraw with a groin issue, with Trafford being called up in his place.
This would suggest that the City stopper is currently the Three Lions’ fourth-choice goalkeeper when everyone is available, behind Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and Pope.
To climb up the pecking order, his best course of action would be to secure regular game time.
Tuchel has made clear that he wants each and every member of his squad playing regularly, and if they aren’t, they are at risk of being dropped from the squad altogether.
A recent example of this would be Myles Lewis-Skelly at Arsenal.
Sealing a temporary switch to north London could solve this issue for Trafford, with Thomas Frank hoping that his addition will give Spurs a solid foundation to solve their defensive issues.
They currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League table and have won just one of their last seven league games, with pressure mounting on the Danish manager.
He is now ranked among the favourites in the latest Premier League sack race odds.
Oliver Glasner is favoured to replace him in the next Tottenham manager betting odds market.
Elsewhere, Newcastle and Aston Villa have been mooted as potential destinations for Trafford.
