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ASTON VILLA FAVOURITES TO SIGN JAMES TRAFFORD AS MAN CITY EXIT LOOMS

James Trafford transfer latest: Discover why Aston Villa lead the £30m race for the Man City keeper ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Aston Villa Favourites To Sign James Trafford As Man City Exit Looms
James Trafford Is Ready To Leave City For Villa

Aston Villa have jumped into the race for James Trafford, with Leeds United and Newcastle United also circling. According to Football Insider, quite a few clubs want Trafford this summer. Since joining Manchester City, things haven’t exactly gone his way. Trafford ended up stuck behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, and now Villa are the latest team looking to snap him up, joining Leeds and Newcastle, who’ve shown interest for a while.

Last summer, Newcastle really pushed to sign Trafford from Burnley. But in the end, he chose to head back to Manchester City. The city paid £27 million to bring him back, hoping he’d be their new No. 1. Then, out of nowhere, Donnarumma became available late in the window. City grabbed the Italian, and Trafford got bumped to the bench. For a guy who wanted to break into the England squad, sitting out games has been tough, and it puts his international hopes in doubt this summer.

Trafford’s ready to move on now. There were already rumours about him leaving in January, but City weren’t interested in letting him go back then. Instead, they allowed Stefan Ortega to join Nottingham Forest. With regular playing time now a priority, Trafford’s looking at his options, and several clubs are lining up to make a move.

Newcastle are still keen; they’re probably thinking about bringing Trafford in and letting go of Aaron Ramsdale, who’s only there on loan. Leeds also wants to strengthen their squad, assuming it stays in the Premier League. But both face some real competition from Aston Villa.

Villa might actually have the edge here. Unlike Leeds and Newcastle, who both have solid goalkeepers already, Villa’s situation is up in the air. Emiliano Martinez could leave this summer, and if that happens, the No. 1 spot would be wide open for Trafford. Plus, Villa are set for European football next season. If they need a new first-choice keeper, Trafford fits the bill. If Villa really go after him, you have to think they’re the favourites to get the deal done.

RELEGATION NO MORE: WHY MOYES SAYS EVERTON IS TOO BIG FOR BOTTOM BATTLES

Everton’s home form is in crisis! Read about David Moyes’ tactical dilemma, the Jake O'Brien red card, and the youth push today.

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David Moyes Under Fire After Bournemouth Loss Ends Everton’s Unbeaten Streak

So, what's the plan for David Moyes and Everton?

Do they play it safe, park the bus, and look for counter-attacks, both home and away? Or do they start building for what's next? That could mean giving Tyler Dibling a shot and trying out Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O’Brien as the centre-back pairing.

Could Harrison Armstrong find a place in the middle? Should they focus on letting these guys play together and forget about this season?

Right now, their home games aren't paying off. David Moyes wants the best possible finish, but some tough home games are coming up against the big teams.

It kicks off next Monday against a Manchester United team that's turned things around. It's easy to get motivated for these games, but can they do it every week?

It's frustrating because after the Bournemouth game, it was another what-if moment at home. Sure, they had chances to seal the deal, but why does this keep happening?

It's just another chance gone. You see it in both the League Cup and the FA Cup.

From my experience as a player, it feels like it comes down to the players' mentality. When they went down to 10 men, they showed they have the fight, the intensity, and the will to do it.

You see glimpses of it at Goodison Park, but maybe only four or five times a season when it really counts. They can flip the switch when the pressure is on.

Again, the problem is keeping that level up. Why can't they do that all the time?

Their away form has been great since David Moyes came back. They didn't play great against Fulham, but they got the win, and that's the main thing.

If 50,000 Everton fans had seen 11 home wins, things would probably feel better than they do now, with just the 3,000 or so who travel the country seeing all those good results. Everyone hoped for the top 10, but nobody expected it.

They can step up against better teams or when it matters, but it's always one step forward, two steps back. If you want to achieve anything in your career, you have to be steady.

The best teams can have bad games, but they still find ways to win because they know how to grind out results. I've seen it at Rangers and PSV – winning is everything, and while winning well is nice, getting those three points or getting through to the next round is what really matters.

Getting ready for the Old Firm game was easy, and getting ready for Ajax with PSV was easy, but could you do the job against the other teams?

David Moyes, the owners, and the club need to figure out how to become more clinical. This team has to get back to that winning mindset.

Even though I'm happy with where they are, I keep thinking, 'What if?' I don't care if Newcastle or Tottenham are struggling; I'm thinking about Everton, and this is a chance they didn't see coming, so they need to take it.

Fans are leaving Goodison Park disappointed, wondering why they can't get that performance together. You could tell David Moyes was really down after the Bournemouth game; it was probably the most frustrated I've seen him since he came back. He seemed really annoyed in his press conference.

He's got to take responsibility because he's the manager, and he's getting paid to sort this out. They're really struggling against teams that make a lot of subs and have full-backs that push forward.

The full-back situation is holding them back. Jake O'Brien has been great, but his sending off reminded me of when Jarrad Branthwaite first came in and got caught out against Brentford. It was waiting to happen because it's not Jake's natural position, and he got exposed.

But they also made things worse, and the game slipped away in nine crazy minutes. Bournemouth didn't want to be there on a cold Tuesday night and were wasting time from the start. They would have been happy with a draw, but Everton let them back in.

They got punished for playing it safe instead of pushing for a second goal. What if they'd actually gone with two strikers instead of bringing on Michael Keane and sticking him up front with a minute left?

Everton can't give up fighting for fair treatment from referees.

I think David Moyes has stopped trying to pressure referees, but you can't give up.

I was watching Manchester City against Fulham, and even though the ref didn't see Kenny Tete pull Antoine Semenyo's hair, VAR did. They checked it, but didn't do anything.

That's the opposite of what PGMOL chief Howard Webb said on Sky Sports. He said Michael Keane's sending off was the right call, and it would be the same next week.

But that's not what happened, and it confuses Everton fans. I've heard that Webb has been visiting clubs, including Everton, telling them about how many decisions they're getting right.

But it's not 100%. If you have VAR, it should be 100% right because you can watch incidents back from all angles.

Everyone knows referees and their assistants can make mistakes, but the people at Stockley Park shouldn't. They have everything they need to get every decision right.

The people on VAR duty are basically re-refereeing games when they shouldn't be, and they're not consistent, whether it's the hair-pull or other incidents. In that same City v Fulham game, Phil Foden made a bad challenge and got away with it, but Everton players like Phil Jagielka and Allan have been sent off for challenges that weren't nearly as bad and got suspensions.

Then, this weekend, the FA Cup games didn't have VAR, and a lot of the refs couldn't make the right calls. I think the standard of refereeing in this country is really bad, and they're not helping themselves.

People like Webb and other former referees go on TV and try to defend their colleagues by coming up with new ways to explain things, but it annoys me and other fans.

They talk about Everton firsts, but unlike a lot of Goodison Park's proud records, these haven't been good. Forget Keane and the hair-pull; back in 2017, Oumar Niasse was the first player to get a retrospective ban for supposedly trying to trick a ref, but I can't remember too many more like that.

TURF MOOR TURMOIL: WHY MANSFIELD’S FA CUP SHOCK COULD END SCOTT PARKER’S REIGN

Scott Parker’s Burnley future is in doubt! Read about the 2-1 loss to Mansfield and the favourites to replace him at Turf Moor.

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Scott Parker Facing Sack After Burnley’s Humiliating 2-1 FA Cup Loss

Scott Parker’s job at Burnley is hanging by a thread. After their latest defeat, the club looks ready to make a quick decision about his future.

Mansfield shocked everyone at Turf Moor, knocking Burnley out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win. Losing at home to a League One side didn’t sit well with anyone. Mick Brown, the former Man United chief scout, told Football Insider this loss might be the final straw for Parker.

Sure, Burnley pulled off a wild 3-2 comeback against Crystal Palace in their last league game, and people thought that might save Parker for a bit. But now, things look shaky. Fans are calling for his head. The board aren't convinced he can win them back, and patience is running out.

Brown spoke to Football Insider on February 9 and said the club might have no choice but to sack Parker, especially after the reaction to recent results at Turf Moor. Last season, Burnley stuck by him as they charged through the Championship, but now, his position looks almost impossible to defend.

“Honestly, it looks like Parker’s time is up,” Brown said. Their form in the Premier League has been awful. That win against Palace may have bought him a little time, but it’s not enough. Things aren’t turning around, relegation feels inevitable, and getting knocked out of the FA Cup like that is just crushing. Getting dumped out at home by a lower-league team? It’s hard to forgive.

The fans are fed up. The board’s doubting him, too. I think they’ll make a decision right away. Whether it’s this week or soon, I just can’t see him keeping the job, and that’s tough after how well they did last season.”

So, who steps in if Parker goes? The pressure has already kicked off a wave of rumours about his replacement, especially with Burnley’s Premier League survival looking grim.

Sean Dyche’s name is everywhere. He left Nottingham Forest recently, and Vitor Pereira replaced him there. Dyche is a familiar face at Burnley, with nearly a decade at the club, over 400 games, and legend status among fans.

Steven Gerrard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are also in the mix. Both want back into the Premier League. Solskjaer missed out on the interim job at Man United last month, and Gerrard turned down a return to Rangers earlier this season, so both are still on the market.

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