The stance Burnley must take on James Trafford as Newcastle United plot move: View | OneFootball

Burnley finished off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

That result put an end to a miserable season for the Clarets, as they struggled to make a real impact in the top flight.

So, with their relegation back to the Championship being confirmed a couple of weeks ago, Vincent Kompany and co. will have been setting up plans for the new season.

As whenever a team is relegated, there could be one or two players who are linked with the exit door, as either the players want to leave or the club could be looking to cash in on their services.

Burnley don’t seem to be any different, as both Aro Muric and James Trafford, who have both played in the Premier League this season, are now being linked with a summer exit.

Both Aro Muric and James Trafford linked with summer exits

Burnley have had Aro Muric at the club since the summer of 2022, as Kompany brought in the shot stopper on a permanent basis from his former club Manchester City.

The 25-year-old was a key part of the club’s promotion to the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.

Meanwhile, James Trafford was also brought to the club from Manchester City, with him being sighed last summer as Kompany looked to add more competition to his goalkeeping ranks.

Both have played a role in the Premier League this season, and it now seems that both are being looked at by other clubs, given the Clarets’ relegation to the Championship.

According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Wolves and Scottish side Celtic are keen on signing Muric this summer, with Burnley valuing the goalkeeper at £10 million.

Nixon also adds that Trafford is being eyed up, with Premier League side Newcastle United keen on signing the ex-Man City man as they want a long-term replacement for Nick Pope.

Obviously, Burnley will not want to let both goalkeepers leave this summer, but Nixon added that they will struggle to keep hold of both players, leaving the door open for one to leave.

So if this is the case, Burnley and Kompany should be keener on keeping Muric at the club and, therefore, letting Trafford depart this summer.

Burnley should look to sell James Trafford this summer

So, it seems that Burnley may have a fight on their hands to keep both Aro Muric and James Trafford at the club beyond this summer transfer window.

Teams are going to circle the likes of Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton Town because they have been relegated, and they may have players that teams can hope to get off them for a cut-price deal.

However, if these players are under contract, these teams will not want to see them exit for very little, and Burnley will be the same. They know interest may be high, but they are not going to just be walked all over for their players.

Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that Burnley are going to let both of their goalkeepers leave in the same transfer window, as that would mean a completely new goalkeeping department heading into the new season.

So, with Alan Nixon stating that the door may be open for one of them to leave, Vincent Kompany and co. should take the hard decision to let Trafford leave this summer and not Muric.

This is because Trafford showed at times throughout the 2023/24 season that he struggled with Premier League football, as he had never played at that level before, while Muric was excellent for the Clarets in the 2022/23 season and didn’t really put much of a foot wrong in the 10 games he played in the league this season.

Muric played 41 times in the Championship in the previous season, during which he conceded just 31 goals, keeping 19 clean sheets.

So, Burnley would surely be looking to have the 25-year-old in goal once again for next season, as he showed he is a very good goalkeeper at that level. Therefore, the Lancashire side should be willing to let Trafford leave this summer, despite him being younger and possibly having a brighter future.

Trafford played 28 times in the league this season, but he hasn’t played a game for the Clarets since their 2-2 draw with West Ham United in March.

In those games, the 21-year-old conceded 62 goals, with him conceding on average 2.2 per game.

The shot stopper failed to save any of the five penalties he faced, but he did finish the 2023/24 season having made 106 saves in total, with 3.8 coming per game, meaning he was saving 68% of the shots he faced, as per Sofascore.com.

But Burnley did concede a high number of goals when Trafford was between the sticks, and while they still conceded with Muric, they seemed to be a little more structured at the back.

Obviously, the Clarets would have signed Trafford in the summer, thinking he could be their number one goalkeeper for the next few years. But this season didn’t go to plan, and now that they both have teams interested, it may be wiser for Burnley to let Trafford leave instead of Muric.

This is because, as stated, Muric has already proven how good he can be in the Championship. But Trafford could potentially bring in more money than selling Muric would, as clubs will look at the 21-year-old as someone they can grow and develop, so they could be willing to spend that little more as a long-term investment.

There is no doubt that Trafford still has all the potential to be a very good goalkeeper, but if they have to sell one of their shot stoppers this summer, then they should cash in on Trafford and get as much money as they can.