Trafford Did Not Expect Donnarumma Signing
James Trafford has revealed that he did not anticipate Manchester City signing Gianluigi Donnarumma following his own transfer from Burnley last summer. The goalkeeper, who joined City after two years at Turf Moor on 31 July in a £31 million deal, acknowledged that the arrival of Donnarumma has impacted his position at the club and that he could leave this summer.
Trafford was informed by Pep Guardiola after his signing that the manager also wanted to bring in Donnarumma, who transferred from Paris Saint-Germain for £26 million and immediately became the first-choice goalkeeper for City.
Playing Time and Current Role
Trafford started all of Manchester City’s first three Premier League matches of the 2023-24 season in August. However, since then, he has not featured in the league, with his other eight appearances coming in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and Champions League competitions.
Having joined City’s academy at age 12 in 2015, Trafford reflected on his recent FA Cup fourth-round appearance and the possibility of returning to the squad. He said:
“Yeah, it’s been good. I didn’t expect the situation [with Donnarumma] to happen but it happened, so just get on with it. So it’s happened so I work very hard every day and see what happens, give it my best shot.”
Expectations and Attitude
Before Donnarumma’s arrival, Trafford was not informed that he would be the club’s number one goalkeeper. He commented on this situation:
“No, it wasn’t that. So it is what it is. It’s football, you’ve got to keep grafting every day and the games that come, play as hard as you can. This is just another experience to add to my career and it has been a good learning experience.”
Trafford has signed a five-year contract with an option for an additional year, but he remains uncertain about his future at Manchester City beyond the summer transfer window. He stated:
“Who knows, it’s football. Let’s take it a day at a time and try and work as hard as I can and whatever happens, happens. I’ve obviously got a contract, so don’t know what happens next season. I just know that I’ll just take it a day at a time and try and improve.”
International Prospects
In November, Trafford was called into the England squad by Thomas Tuchel after Nick Pope withdrew. However, he has not had any discussions with the manager regarding his chances of being selected for the World Cup in June.
Regarding his international ambitions, Trafford said:
“No, obviously everyone knows what’s going on with me. So I’ve just got to, whenever I play, play as well as I can. I haven’t spoken to them about if that’s enough, but I play as well as I can and train every day very hard and it’s just down to me.”
