Newcastle United Incar James Trafford Saat Manchester City Siapkan Pengganti

Newcastle United kembali membuka komunikasi dengan Manchester City untuk merekrut penjaga gawang James Trafford pada bursa transfer musim panas 2026 setelah sang pemain jarang mendapat menit bermain.

Kiper berusia 23 tahun tersebut menjadi target utama Newcastle United yang sedang berbenah menyusul berakhirnya masa pinjaman Aaron Ramsdale dan potensi kepergian Nick Pope ke klub lain.

Langkah Newcastle memburu Trafford direspons Manchester City dengan membidik mantan pemain akademinya yang kini membela Sheffield Wednesday, Pierce Charles, demi mengisi slot kiper yang ditinggalkan.

Spekulasi kepergian Trafford menguat setelah dirinya kalah bersaing dengan Gianluigi Donnarumma yang didatangkan dari PSG, membuat jebolan akademi City itu hanya tampil 17 kali sepanjang musim.

Pihak Manchester City dikabarkan menetapkan nilai transfer sebesar 40 juta poundsterling bagi klub yang ingin memboyong Trafford demi mendapatkan keuntungan finansial.

Saat berbicara dalam konferensi pers menjelang laga perdana tim nasional Inggris melawan Kroasia di Piala Dunia 2026, Trafford memberikan tanggapan mengenai kepergian manajer Pep Guardiola.

"Everyone knows he was an incredible manager, probably one of the best, if not the best to ever manage," kata Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Ia menambahkan situasi ruang ganti City tetap tenang karena seluruh pemain akan langsung beradaptasi dengan pelatih baru yang akan menggantikan posisi pria asal Katalunya tersebut.

"Whatever happens next season in terms of the manager, because obviously nothing's been confirmed, then all the players work under that manager, it's just how football goes," ujar Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Meskipun Manchester City santer dikabarkan segera meresmikan Enzo Maresca sebagai manajer baru setelah menyelesaikan kompensasi dengan Chelsea, Trafford mengaku sedih berpisah dengan Guardiola.

"When Pep left, it was obviously sad, because he's obviously so successful – and a lot of the new lads, we all really, really enjoyed him. But it's just football that everyone moves on at certain points," tutur Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Sebelumnya pada Februari 2026, Trafford sempat mengutarakan rasa frustrasinya karena menjadi pilihan kedua di Etihad Stadium meski ia tetap berupaya tampil maksimal saat diberi kesempatan.

"It (being No. 2) wasn't what I expected," kata Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Ia menyadari bahwa minimnya menit bermain di level klub dapat mengancam ambisinya untuk menjadi penjaga gawang utama di tim nasional Inggris asuhan Thomas Tuchel.

"History says yeah," ucap Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Trafford menggarisbawahi bahwa penjaga gawang dari negara-negara top idealnya berstatus sebagai pilihan utama di klub masing-masing agar bisa bersaing di level internasional.

"There hasn't been a goalie start for any of the top nations that isn't a number one at the club," ujar Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Kendati demikian, Trafford menilai musim pertamanya kembali ke City memberikan banyak pelajaran berharga serta pengalaman baru di dalam karier profesionalnya.

"It's been challenging the past season, but looking back, I've learned so much, I've developed so much. I thought I'd had a lot of experiences up to this point in my career, but this was a new experience for me," cetus Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Ia menegaskan komitmennya untuk terus berkembang setiap hari meskipun harus melewati hari-hari yang sulit selama kompetisi berjalan.

"It was tough. Some days were harder than others, but the one thing I wanted to keep doing was keep winning and improving every day," kata Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Meski tidak bermain reguler, Trafford setidaknya berkontribusi membawa tim memenangkan trofi Piala FA dan Piala Carabao musim ini.

"I kept doing that and I came out the season having played a part in winning the two trophies that we did. It was a challenging season, but I learned a lot for myself and for going forward in my career. You have still got to perform at the highest level, and when I did move, if I would have become England's number one for the tournament, it would have been brilliant. I'd have been very happy [being City's No.1], but obviously I didn't," tutur Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Ia menerima keputusan klub mendatangkan Donnarumma sebagai bagian dari dinamika industri sepak bola profesional yang harus dihadapi.

"They ended up signing Gigi, and I didn't play the majority of the games, and that's football," kata Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Ia menutup pernyataannya dengan menegaskan bahwa fokus utamanya saat ini adalah terus memperbaiki diri dan melihat ke mana karier akan membawanya.

"The two trophies were nice. Every day I just thought, ‘Keep improving, keep trying to win the day, and see where it takes me’," ujar Trafford, Kiper Manchester City.

Di sisi lain, ketertarikan Manchester City terhadap Pierce Charles dilaporkan oleh TEAMtalk kian intensif karena performa gemilang kiper berusia 20 tahun itu bersama Sheffield Wednesday.

Manajer Sheffield Wednesday Henrik Pedersen mengungkapkan bahwa pemilik klub David Storch sangat menyukai Charles dan seluruh elemen tim akan berjuang mempertahankan sang kiper.

"In the big picture we want to be a club that can find and develop talent, let them be effective in the first team and make a sustainable financial model. For Pierce, we will all do all that we can to keep him in this phase here," kata Henrik Pedersen, Manajer Sheffield Wednesday.

Pedersen menambahkan bahwa kiper asal Irlandia Utara tersebut memegang peranan krusial dalam identitas jangka panjang klub menuju musim depan.

"He is a part of our identity and we would love to have him as a part of our future. I know David and everyone loves him – and that everyone will do everything to keep him. Let's see what happens when the season is done," ujar Henrik Pedersen, Manajer Sheffield Wednesday.

Negosiasi transfer James Trafford ke Newcastle United sendiri diperkirakan baru akan menemui kejelasan setelah sang pemain menyelesaikan tugasnya bersama tim nasional Inggris di Piala Dunia 2026.