StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

ANALYTICAL: HOW JAMES TRAFFORD LOST HIS SPOT TO DONNARUMMA AT CITY

Trafford, who was key to Burnley’s record-breaking season, faces a tough decision after being benched at City. Newcastle is reportedly interested amid the transfer saga.

Analytical: How James Trafford Lost His Spot to Donnarumma at City
Trafford’s Move to Escape City Bench

James Trafford, Manchester City's goalkeeper, who hasn't been playing much, is thinking about leaving the club, even though he just came back five months ago. He was key in Burnley's rise to the Premier League last season, but since moving to Pep Guardiola's team this summer, he's had trouble getting regular playing time.

In an impressive 2024-25 season, Trafford helped Burnley achieve 30 clean sheets.

Trafford became a hot prospect after helping Burnley get out of the Championship in 2024-25. He played in almost every league game, and the team kept 30 clean sheets—tying an all-time English league record with Port Vale in 1953-54.

With Trafford in goal, Scott Parker's team let in only 16 league goals in 46 games and earned 100 points. Burnley finished second, just behind Leeds United, who had a slightly better goal difference. Leeds scored a huge 95 goals last season, while Burnley scored 69.

Before, the former England U21 goalkeeper was about to join Newcastle.

After his great performance for Burnley, Trafford almost went to Newcastle United this summer. Eddie Howe wanted to strengthen his goalkeeping lineup after winning the Carabao Cup last season.

But City used a clause that allowed them to sign Trafford, even though they had sold him to Burnley in 2023.

Trafford lost his starting spot to Italy's Donnarumma.

Trafford started City's first three Premier League games but then lost his place to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Donnarumma came to Guardiola's team from Paris Saint-Germain after losing his starting spot to Lucas Chevalier.

The Italian player has played 14 times for City, while Trafford has been on the bench. He did play in the Carabao Cup games against Huddersfield Town and Swansea City.

Trafford's last game was in City's 2-0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last Tuesday. In that game, Guardiola changed 10 players in his starting lineup.

A report says the 23-year-old wants to leave to stay in the running for the World Cup.

Now, the Daily Mail says that Trafford is thinking about leaving when the transfer window opens next month. Newcastle may try to sign him, and City could also lose Stefan Ortega.

Ortega, who used to be a reliable backup, has fallen in the ranks after Trafford, Donnarumma, and Marcus Bettinelli joined the team.

The report ends by saying that Trafford is worried about not making the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Donnarumma is suspected of faking an injury before the Fulham game.

Donnarumma is likely to start when City plays Fulham on Tuesday. He was accused of faking an injury to get an advantage by Leeds's coach Farke after Saturday's game.

After Leeds came back from being down 2-0, Donnarumma went down and got treatment, which allowed Guardiola to talk to his players. City then won the game 3-2.

Farke said that everyone knew why Donnarumma went down and that it's up to the authorities to find a solution. He also said that if players are just trying to bend the rules and fake injuries, it's not something he likes.

"I’M UPSET" PEP GUARDIOLA’S HILARIOUS RESPONSE TO MANCHESTER CITY’S TRANSFER BUDGET

Pep Guardiola hits back at "big spender" claims, revealing six clubs have higher net spends than City. Get the full injury news.

top-news
Pep Guardiola mocks "big spender" label

Pep Guardiola couldn’t resist poking fun at Manchester City’s big-spender label, joking that he’s annoyed with the club’s bosses for not splashing out even more in the transfer market. City did bring in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January, bumping their spending over the last year to £430 million. But here’s the thing—City have also raked in hundreds of millions from player sales, and if you look at net spend over the last five years, six Premier League clubs, including Newcastle (who they’re facing in the Carabao Cup semi-final), have actually outspent them.

Guardiola has pushed back plenty of times against the idea that City just buy their way to success. This time, he couldn’t resist turning the spotlight on the teams that have spent even more. “Honestly, I’m a bit sad and upset because, in terms of net spend, we’re only seventh in the league over the past five years. I want to be first—I don’t get why the club doesn’t spend more. I’m a little grumpy with them,” he laughed.

He kept going: “People say we only win because we spend tonnes of money, but now there are six teams ahead of us. So, they’ve got to win all the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, and FA Cups, right? That’s just the reality, not an opinion.

“You can argue about how we played against Spurs—good or bad, that’s up for debate. But these spending numbers? That’s just a fact. Good luck to those six teams ahead of us on net spend. Let’s see what they do. That’s a good quote, isn’t it?”

Right now, City has a 2-0 lead over Newcastle with one leg left in the Carabao Cup semi-final. They’re hungry for another trip to Wembley, but hanging onto leads hasn’t been easy for them this season.

“That’s our focus right now,” Guardiola said. “We’re one game away from making a fifth Carabao Cup final in ten years. Sure, I’d rather start 2-0 up, but we know how tough it is against Newcastle. They’ve got Champions League pride; they always fight.

“We’ve got to be ready. Let’s see how the players bounce back after that hard game at Spurs. We’ll play our football, with our fans behind us, and try to book our place at Wembley in March.”

THE 10-GAME DROUGHT OVER: HOW HAALAND FINALLY FOUND THE NET AGAIN TODAY.

Erling Haaland ends his 10-game goal drought as Manchester City beat Galatasaray 2-0 to secure a spot in the UCL Last 16.

top-news
City through to Last 16 as Haaland ends his scoring drought

Erling Haaland finally broke his scoring drought, and Manchester City squeezed into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Galatasaray.

Haaland hadn’t scored from open play in ten matches, but he put that to rest with a calm finish. Rayan Cherki gave City their second just before halftime. Pep Guardiola’s team handled the Turkish side at the Etihad, but honestly, it wasn’t a smooth ride.

Other results went City’s way, so this win pushed the defending champions up to eighth in the league phase. That means they dodged the dreaded play-off round—the one that tripped them up last season.

After the final whistle, players, coaches, and fans were left waiting for results from other games. When word came through that Real Madrid had lost at Benfica, everyone in sky blue could finally relax. They’d done enough.

The night wasn’t all good news, though. Jeremy Doku, who lit up the first half and set up both goals, picked up an injury and joined City’s already long list of casualties.

Still, City will be relieved. They won’t have to deal with two extra games next month, and with four competitions on the go, every bit of rest matters.

Galatasaray’s travelling fans showed up in force. They packed city bars, marched through the streets, and set off fireworks on the way to the ground. But by the end, they were silent.

Their team, featuring old City faces Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, managed to cling onto a spot in the top 24. Not much to celebrate, but it’s something.

City came out flying. They nearly scored inside three minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri whipped in a cross for Haaland, but the Norwegian headed wide.

He didn’t miss his next chance. Seven minutes later, Doku zipped through the Galatasaray defence and slipped a pass to Haaland, who raced clear. Bardakci couldn’t keep up, and goalkeeper Cakir had no chance as Haaland coolly chipped the ball over him.

The city pushed for more. Cakir had to tip over a rocket from Nico O’Reilly. The second goal arrived in 29 minutes—Doku danced into the box, pulled it back for Cherki, and Cherki swept it home.

That was Doku’s last big moment. After taking some rough hits in recent games, he picked up another knock and limped off.

Galatasaray barely threatened before halftime, apart from a weak effort from Victor Osimhen. But they found more energy after the break, especially after Kurdish demonstrators briefly paused the game.

Osimhen was their main danger man. He headed at Gianluigi Donnarumma, then forced a save with a first-time shot.

The city nearly added a third when Omar Marmoush found himself in a great spot but lost his footing at the crucial moment.

A clash of heads between Tijjani Reijnders and Davinson Sanchez brought a long stoppage. Both players got bandaged up and played on, but the tempo never really picked up again.

The game fizzled out, but City did what they needed to do. They’re through.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News