Signing for Manchester City was inevitable, admits James Trafford

Manchester City’s newest recruit of the summer window has admitted that returning to the club following three spells away was inevitable in his own eyes.

Trafford has sealed a sensational full-circle return to the Etihad Stadium this week, completing a £27 million transfer from Burnley to strengthen Pep Guardiola’s goalkeeping options for the seasons to come.

The 22-year-old spent two years at Turf Moor after leaving his boyhood club in the summer of 2023, with the England U-21 international becoming Manchester City’s sixth signing of a marquee transfer window – following Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan.

City’s new director of football Hugo Viana has spearheaded what has been a major revamp of the first-team squad this summer, which is set to now witness the departure of Stefan Ortega Moreno following the arrival of Trafford, who will compete with Ederson for the number one goalkeeping positions.

Speaking in his first interview since returning to Manchester City from Burnley, James Trafford insisted that he always held a belief that he would one day return to the Etihad Stadium even despite a trio of temporary and permanent exits in previous years.

“It was one of my goals since I joined when I was 12 to play for Man City. I knew my journey would look different,” the 22-year-old admitted.

“Throughout it I always believed I would be coming back and when I left on loan when I was 18 or when I left for Burnley when I was 20, I always believed that one day I would be back and I worked to achieve this moment.”

He continued, “I always believed that I’d play for City and I knew the only person that could do that is me. I always believed that I’d get to this moment and now I’ve got this moment, I’ve just got to keep going.”

Opening up on the value of playing for Accrington Stanley, Bolton Wanderers, and permanently for Burnley in the last two seasons, Trafford explained, “It was massive for me. I just wanted to play as many games as I could and get as many experiences as I could.

“The loans were brilliant for me in that aspect, I got so many memories and developed so much. Then two years ago when I had the opportunity [to move to] Burnley and I thought it was the right step for me in that moment and in the long term for what I wanted to achieve and to come back here. I’m happy that I’ve achieved it.”

Ederson will begin the 2025-26 campaign as Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper, with Trafford embracing the challenge of dethroning the 31-year-old Brazilian – who was heavily linked with an exit this summer – from the number one spot.

Manchester City are believed to have completed their transfer business as far as incomings as concerned following the acquisition of Trafford, with club officials now understood to be prioritising trimming the wage bill and streamlining Guardiola’s bloated squad before the transfer window shuts on September 1.