"Huge quality" - Scott Parker drops claim on James Trafford's Burnley FC situation as Spurs lurk | OneFootball

Scott Parker has praised Burnley keeper James Trafford, with his performances catching the eye of Spurs.

Burnley boss Scott Parker has heaped praise on keeper James Trafford and backed him to get even better amid links to Tottenham.

The England U21 international joined the Clarets from Man City in the summer of 2023 for a big-money fee worth up to £19m, and he endured a difficult first season at Turf Moor.

A series of mistakes saw Vincent Kompany eventually drop his number one, as Burnley were ultimately relegated back to the Championship.

Scott Parker on James Trafford’s ability

Despite his struggles, there was talk that Trafford would leave in the summer, with Newcastle among the admirers, but a deal wasn’t reached.

Since then, the keeper has focused on Burnley, and he has been fantastic in the first few months of the campaign, keeping 11 clean sheets, with Parker’s men having conceded just six goals in 18 appearances, which gives them the best record in England.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise that the 22-year-old has been linked with a move away once again, with Spurs supposedly monitoring Trafford as they look for reinforcements in January following an injury to Guglielmo Vicario.

And, whilst Parker wouldn’t be drawn on Trafford’s future, the boss made it clear to the Burnley Express just how much he rates the stopper.

“Pedigree-wise and in terms of his qualities, they’re there for everyone to see. He’s been around the international scene for some time in terms of all ages, and obviously it’s clear, there’s player there with huge potential.

“I put James probably in a bit of a similar bracket to Luca [Koleosho]. There's no denying, and no hiding from the fact, that last year was very, very difficult for James in a very difficult situation for him, for a number of reasons. And this season was probably about building up again, and just becoming a little bit stable, and just taking some oxygen – no doubt last year would have hurt, James, in terms of everything. And I was very conscious of that, walking in here; this boy's got huge quality, and is a massive part of what we're doing.”

James Trafford is key to Burnley’s promotion push

As Parker says, Trafford is key to their plans, so it’s hard to envisage a January sale, as the club will know how much promotion to the Premier League is worth, and selling him would reduce those chances.

Huge credit has to go to Trafford for how he has performed this season. He warranted a lot of criticism last season, as he simply wasn’t good enough at times, but he has bounced back, and he is now showing why he is regarded as one of the top talents in the country in his position.

So, he will be pleased with how things are going, and he has shown that he doesn’t allow off-field talk to distract him as he looks to help Burnley back to the top-flight at the first attempt.