Soccer-Man City re-sign goalkeeper Trafford from Burnley on five-year deal
(Reuters) -Goalkeeper James Trafford has returned to Manchester City on a five-year contract after helping Burnley earn a promotion back to the Premier League with the fewest goals conceded in the Championship last season, City said on Tuesday.
Englishman Trafford, who won the golden glove with 29 clean sheets in the Championship last season, has re-joined the club where he spent eight years as a youth player for 27 million pounds ($36 million), English media reports said.
'Rejoining City is such special and proud moment both for me and my family. I always dreamed that one day I would be able to come back to Manchester City," Trafford said in a statement shared by City.
'This is the place I call home – it's a truly special football club with fantastic people who make it such a unique place to work and play."
Trafford played on loan at third-tier sides Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before making a permanent move to Burnley in 2023, where he played his first full season in the Premier League, making 28 appearances as the club was relegated.
But the six-foot-six keeper returned to form in the Championship last season, with Burnley conceding only 16 goals in the campaign, 14 fewer than champions Leeds United.
"I am still very young and hungry to keep learning and improving – and I know there is no better environment than Manchester City to help make me become the best goalkeeper I can be," Trafford added.
City, who begin their quest for a seventh Premier League title in nine seasons when they visit Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16, said Trafford would wear the number one jersey.
($1 = 0.7497 pounds)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
9 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Sterling and big-money flops blanked by Chelsea
LONDON: Raheem Sterling heads a group of nine Chelsea players frozen out of the first-team picture — quite literally. The 30-year-old winger and eight other stars have no profile or photo in the first-team section of Chelsea's official website, as the club scrambles to offload unwanted names before the transfer window shuts on Sept 1. The list includes players returning to Cobham this week following a break after the Club World Cup, but their absence from the squad page is telling. It's the latest development in a chaotic window that has seen Chelsea's first-team balloon to 47 players, thanks to another round of lavish spending, including the £60million signing of Joao Pedro. Among those missing from the site are striker Armando Broja and midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, who are both edging closer to permanent moves to Burnley. But Broja and fellow academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist aren't the only ones on the chopping block. Seven other players, signed for more than £200million combined, are also in limbo, despite still officially being at the club. Big-money signings like Ben Chilwell (£50m), Axel Disasi (£38m), Carney Chukwuemeka (£15m) and Lesley Ugochukwu (£23.5m) have all been left off the official roster, despite returning to training at Cobham. Sterling, a £47.5m signing from Manchester City in 2022, sealed a deadline-day loan to Arsenal last summer and has not played a part in Maresca's plans since. Chilwell and Disasi both spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa respectively. Chukwuemeka, signed from Aston Villa, returned to Chelsea this summer after six months at Borussia Dortmund, while Ugochukwu is back following a season at Southampton. Forgotten forward David Datro Fofana, who joined from Molde for £10.5m in January 2023, also finds himself in the shadows. The Ivorian returned early from a loan stint at Goztepe due to injury but has been training with the squad — still with no place on the club website and no clear path to game time. Portugal international Renato Veiga, who impressed during a six-month loan at Juventus, looked set for a big-money switch to Atletico Madrid, but that move appears to have collapsed. He, too, remains in limbo. Even among the 31 players still listed on the official site, uncertainty looms. High-profile names like Christopher Nkunku could still be moved on in the coming weeks. Mykhailo Mudryk, who faces a potential ban for failing a drugs test, retains his profile — albeit still wearing last season's kit. The club have already sent six players out on loan, but with targets like RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho still on the radar, the number of inbound players could yet rise. It's left new manager Enzo Maresca with an inflated squad and an almighty balancing act — one even former boss Graham Potter admitted became unmanageable, once revealing that so many players had joined that some had to sit on the floor during team meetings. Chelsea's transfer chiefs now face a race against time to cut down a bloated squad and restore order before the season kicks off.
New Straits Times
9 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Onana eyes Arsenal return as United bid for flying start
LONDON: Goalkeeper Andre Onana is optimistic about returning in time for Manchester United's Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Aug 17. The Cameroon international missed the club's pre-season matches in the United States as he continues his recovery from injury, but says he is feeling positive ahead of the new campaign. Onana joined the squad stateside and took part in training, though he played no part in the Premier League Summer Series. Instead, Altay Bayindir featured against West Ham and Everton, while Tom Heaton started in the 4-1 win over Bournemouth. Speaking to NBC Sports in Atlanta, the 28-year-old goalkeeper offered an encouraging update on his condition. "I'm good, I feel great," Onana told ex-United shot-stopper Tim Howard. "It's been a difficult few weeks but hopefully I'll be back for the start of the season. I'm enjoying training with the lads — we're all looking forward to it." Onana also shared his belief that a stronger sense of unity within the squad could be key to a more successful campaign under Ruben Amorim. "Togetherness," he said when asked what feels different this time around. "Last season was tough for us — we all know that. Now we work hard, we train together, we enjoy it. And that's important. "When we're united, we're hard to beat. We're scoring goals, playing well, and I'm happy with the progress the team is making." United wrap up their pre-season schedule with a final friendly against Fiorentina at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the Snapdragon Cup up for grabs. Onana, however, already has his sights set on Arsenal and knows a fast start could set the tone for the season. "It's important to start well, especially against a team like Arsenal," he added. "Once we do that, anything is possible."rder before the season kicks off.
The Star
39 minutes ago
- The Star
Ex-Arsenal player Partey in UK court charged with rape, sexual assault
LONDON (Reuters) -Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with raping two women while he was a player for the English Premier League soccer club. Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022. The 32-year-old sat in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court dressed in black during the brief hearing and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward said that two of the charges Partey faces relate to him allegedly anally raping one complainant during consensual sex on separate occasions. Three further charges relate to a second woman whom Partey is accused of raping on three occasions, twice in Britain and once in Spain. He was not asked to enter pleas to any of the charges. Partey was granted bail ahead of his next court appearance at London's Old Bailey court on September 2. His lawyer previously said in a statement that Partey denies the charges and welcomes the opportunity to clear his name. Partey was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($57.7 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side's first team, making 52 appearances in all competitions last season. He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing. His contract with the Premier League club expired last month. British media have reported Partey is close to joining Spanish side Villarreal on a free transfer and Judge Paul Goldspring said during Tuesday's hearing that Partey would soon be moving to Spain. ($1 = 0.8663 euros) (Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Christian Radnedge)
