Leeds United must have thought that they had found a permanent solution to their goalkeeping problem in the summer. Daniel Farke chose not to proceed with Illan Meslier after what happened last season.
In the promotion run in, Meslier started to make a series of errors. Farke complained and subsequently benched the Frenchman for the final games of the season. Karl Darlow stepped in as the club eventually won promotion. When the summer came around, the Whites splashed the cash on Lucas Perri from Lyon, who came in as a highly rated player.
The Brazilian was expected to solve the goalkeeping issues. He had a decent start, but his distribution was criticized. Just when he had a good run of games, he got injured in the middle of the campaign. And when he returned, it looked like he had gotten worse – committing little errors across games. Farke once again made the decision to bench his first choice for Karl Darlow, with the Welsh international currently holding the spot.
James Trafford now a priority for Aston Villa
James Trafford is in a similar position at Manchester City; he was brought in to be first choice, but Pep Guardiola gave the green light to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian has now since made the spot in the team his and has impressed so far. Trafford has had to do with appearances in domestic competition, and in the last FA Cup round he revealed that his future is uncertain.
teamTALK are now reporting that Aston Villa lead the race for the England international. But nothing is concrete, as the likes of Spurs, Leeds and Newcastle are also following the situation. James Trafford wants to play, and unless something changes at City, he will not be a the club next season.
READ MORE: “Only Leeds fans…” – Simon Jordan has surprising take on Leeds United fans booing Ramadan break
Leeds United must find another alternative
Looking at the clubs lined up for the 23-year old, Leeds United look like the least enticing destination. It is no fault of the club, just that Trafford may prefer ambition to anything else in his career. He is young and will want to be England number one in the future. For the Whites, their Premier League future is uncertain as things stand, so no one can make any promises. It is time for Leeds to look for an alternative to Trafford if things do not go their way this summer.
