"I'm not surprised" - Pundit reacts to recent James Trafford developments involving Burnley and Newcastle United | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer has given his view on James Trafford staying at Burnley despite interest from Newcastle United.

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes staying at Burnley is the right move for goalkeeper James Trafford after the Clarets rejected interest from Newcastle United during the summer transfer window.

Trafford joined Burnley from Manchester City last summer in a deal worth £19 million, but he endured a tough first season at Turf Moor as the Clarets were relegated from the Premier League.

After a number of unconvincing performances, Trafford was dropped for Aro Muric in March, and he remained on the bench for the rest of the season, but he has regained his place as first choice in the Championship under new head coach Scott Parker.

Newcastle have been long-term admirers of Trafford, and they reportedly made a £16 million bid for him in June, but that was turned down as it fell short of the Clarets' valuation, which is believed to be above £20 million.

It had been claimed that the Magpies were looking to agree a deal for Trafford on deadline day, but the move did not materialise, and he will remain at Burnley until at least the January transfer window.

Palmer: Staying at Burnley will be good for James Trafford

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that remaining at Turf Moor and playing regular football will be beneficial for Trafford, and he believes he could be back in the Premier League next season with Burnley.

"James Trafford, the young, talented Burnley goalkeeper, is building quite a reputation for himself," Palmer said.

"He played 28 games in the Premier League last season and played very well, and he's started this season with Burnley very well.

"There had been a lot of interest in Trafford, with Newcastle apparently having several bids turned down for the young goalkeeper.

"I'm not surprised he stayed where he is, he's 21 years of age and he's racking up appearances. "He went on loan to Bolton Wanderers in 2022-23 and made 45 appearances in League One, he then joined Burnley for big money and made 28 appearances in the Premier League, and so far he's made three appearances in the Championship. "Like I've always said, for young goalkeepers or young players, they need to play. "What you don't want to do is move somewhere and not play. "I would have thought the likelihood is that if Trafford went anywhere, he would have been loaned back to the Championship anyhow. "Burnley held firm on the money they required for the player, they were not going to allow him to go if they did not get the right amount of money for him. "They signed him in July 2023 for £15 million, with add-ons that could see the deal reach £19 million. "They're not going to sell him for less than that, and that's what clubs have got to come up with. "I'm not surprised he's not moved, he's happy, he's playing football and he could be back in the Premier League next season, I fully expect Burnley to be in the shake up.

"They've come out of the blocks really quickly with two wins, then they suffered a defeat and a draw, but they're in a play-off position, they're on seven points, it's early days in the season and I expect them to be vying for automatic promotion as the season goes on."

After a mass exodus in the final two weeks of the transfer window that saw the likes of Vitinho, Dara O'Shea, Sander Berge, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Anass Zaroury, Wilson Odobert and Wout Weghorst leave the club, Burnley supporters would have been concerned when reports emerged that Newcastle were considering a late move for Trafford.

While Trafford found it tough in the Premier League last season, he is a player with huge potential, underlined by the fact he was called up to the senior England squad for the first time earlier this year, and the Clarets were right to demand over £20 million for his services.

Burnley would still have been well-stocked if Trafford did depart after the signings of Vaclav Hladky and Etienne Green, but Parker has made it clear that the 21-year-old is his number one, so he will be delighted to have kept hold of him.