West Ham launch James Trafford raid as scouts sent to watch England man
Graham Potter is set to lead an overhaul of his West Ham United squad this summer, with arguably every position in need of strengthening.
West Ham’s season looks set to fizzle out in unspectacular fashion, with Potter’s side sitting 16th in the Premier League table, 17 points clear of the bottom three, but unlikely to make much upward movement.
Potter may have tightened the Hammers up at the back and stemmed the flow of goals they were conceding under Julen Lopetegui‘s tutelage, but he’s still won just three of his first nine league games.
A summer of sweeping changes are therefore in the offing as West Ham look to avoid another season to forget, with very few positions on the pitch which don’t need reinforcements at the London Stadium.
West Ham join James Trafford race as scouts sent out
The Hammers have a trio of experienced goalkeepers on their books with Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola both featuring regularly this season, but it’s clear that a refresh is sorely needed this summer.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Clean Sheets | Goals Conceded |
| Lukasz Fabianski | 16 | 15 | 4 | 27 |
| Alphonse Areola | 18 | 17 | 4 | 29 |
| Wes Foderingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
That refresh could come in the form of Burnley and England stopper James Trafford, with talkSPORT reporting on 18 March that the Irons have sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old in action for the Clarets.
Newcastle are also heavily involved in the hunt to sign Trafford, whose 26 clean sheets have helped to keep Burnley firmly lodged in the automatic promotion race, with an asking price of £30million mooted.
Trafford transfer a no-brainer for new West Ham era
While Newcastle could have the advantage over West Ham in the race for Trafford as newly-crowned EFL Cup winners, it’s arguable that he’d have the better chance of establishing himself in East London.
Trafford is yet to make his England debut ahead of being called into Thomas Tuchel’s maiden squad, but with Nick Pope also a regular fixture for his country, Newcastle will struggle to keep both keepers happy.
By contrast, West Ham, who have also expressed an interest in Trafford’s England team-mate Aaron Ramsdale, have a much more pressing need to replace their current, aging trifecta of shot-stoppers.
Fabianski, Areola and Wes Foderingham will be 40, 32, and 34 years old come season’s end, and at 10 years Areola’s junior, Trafford could provide an option between the sticks for at least the next decade.