James Trafford had a fantastic game as Leeds United played a draw against Sunderland this past weekend. The keeper continues to show his quality between the sticks.
He was a big signing this summer as the Whites signed him for around £40 million from Manchester City. Trafford moving raised eyebrows, with many sceptical about the keeper’s quality but so far he has proved himself and is looking worth every penny.
The story of how the England keeper ended up at Elland Road began last year.
Leeds signed Lucas Perri for a huge fee to solve their goalkeeping problems. He did a good job early in the campaign but injuries disrupted his progress; and when he returned, he looked off it.
The Brazilian was making uncharacteristic errors that lead to Farke benching him.
£12m Leeds deal on track as 28-year-old gets major vote of confidence
Lucas Perri
Credit: Imago
Perri only featured in cup games from January onwards as Leeds reached a semi final at Wembley. When the season ended, reports emerged that James Trafford was the Whites’ big target for the summer.
That meant Perri had to find a way out of Elland Road; Torino came in for him, but the move took weeks after a lot of twists and turns.
He finally got his move to Italy but the start of his Torino career was not flattering. Perri made a few errors in his first few matches, which drew criticism. Torino eventually put him on special training plans to get him back in shape. And these seem to have worked wonders ever since.
Lucas Perri has conceded four goals in four games, keeping a clean sheet in that run – Torino have been unbeaten in the same period.
Former Torino goalkeeper Luciano Castellini has given his verdict on the Brazilian so far.
“It seems to me that the South American goalkeeper has settled in well in recent weeks.” He said speaking to Italian outlet La Repubblica (via TMW).
“But it’s too early to make a definitive judgment.
“Let me follow him closely for a little longer.”
A positive update from someone in and around the Turin side shows that there is progress being made. Perri has a £12million buy option in his loan deal.
READ MORE: Farke’s public backing of Leeds star looks hollow as January exit looms
Whites need the Perri deal to go through
When the transfer was announced, it was made clear that Perri only had a buy option. Torino really needed a first choice keeper and the Brazilian was high on their list.
So in the midst of this exciting news on the transfer scene, the club must not forget that the Italian club have no obligation to sign the 28-year old.
But it does show that Perri is on the right track, convincing Torino to sign him as the season goes on. He has already shown his mental strength after a tough start to the season and now looks right at home.
This is a side of him that Leeds fans did not really see last year.
The 49ers need Torino to sign Perri after they brought in Trafford and Zetterer on permanent deals. Three first team goalkeepers on big contracts would case problems especially with Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules.
