James Trafford snubs Pep Guardiola ‘demands’ suggestion following previous Manchester City experience | OneFootball

Incoming Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford has recently put praise on the demands set by all those across the Etihad Stadium first-team squad, aside from just the club’s legendary head coach.

The 22-year-old, who is expected to finalise a return to the Premier League giants this week after a permanent spell with Burnley, has opened up on his previous experience under Pep Guardiola.

And perhaps surprisingly, the England international chose not to attribute the club’s sky-high standards solely to the City boss, instead pointing to the winning culture embedded within the playing group, led by senior players and shaped by peer accountability.

The goalkeeper originally joined Manchester City’s youth system from Carlisle United in 2015 and was developed at the club before departing for regular senior football. Following loan stints at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers, Trafford joined Burnley in 2023 and went on to feature regularly under Vincent Kompany before the club’s relegation.

However, with Manchester City now ready to bring him back – potentially in a record-breaking deal for a British goalkeeper – his comments offer fans an insight into the environment he’s preparing to re-enter.

The club’s current squad may be in a state of transition, with key figures such as Jack Grealish facing uncertain futures and the dressing room welcoming younger talent like Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Nevertheless, Trafford’s reflections suggest a timeless continuity behind the scenes, where professionalism and elite standards are expected regardless of who is in the squad.

Speaking in an appearance on The Ben Foster Podcast in June, James Trafford dismissed the idea that demands at Manchester City stemmed solely from manager Pep Guardiola, but were established and maintained by all those in the squad.

“It’s not him putting the demands, I don’t think it was him, it was more just like the culture. So say you stepped out of line it would be like self-policed probably more than the manager being headmaster at school,” Trafford said.

He continued, “At that time it was probably just like the senior lads, like Fernandinho Walks [Kyle Walker], I can’t remember. Vinny [Kompany] went a bit earlier. (Kevin De Bruyne?) No, I don’t think at that time, it was like the older lads. So like [Ilkay] Gundogan would have been there.

“So it’s just like all winning groups have that culture of, you just do the right things, you behave professionally. The standards were… They got to the Champions League final [vs Chelsea] that year, like the standards are extremely high.”

Trafford’s return to the Etihad Stadium marks a significant moment in his career and Manchester City’s evolving squad strategy. With Stefan Ortega still yet to confirm his long-term future and Ederson attracting interest from Galatasaray, Trafford could be stepping into a larger role sooner than expected.

City’s willingness to pay a record fee to re-sign him speaks volumes about the club’s faith in his development and potential. However, whether he is immediately integrated as a first-team regular or eased in behind a more experienced name may depend on movement elsewhere in the goalkeeper department in the coming weeks.

Either way, Trafford’s understanding of City’s high-performance culture and his comfort operating within it should prove valuable as Pep Guardiola embarks on what could be his second-to-last season at the helm.