Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford is already earning his £40million price tag. Of course, Daniel Farke is seriously impressed.
The fallout from that 0-0 draw against Sunderland was largely negative. It felt like a game that Leeds should have gone and won against the side sitting bottom of the league.
However, an overwhelming positive was that James Trafford continues to be an outstanding purchase for United.
James Trafford earning his keep at Leeds United with standout performance vs Sunderland
It was a game completely lacking any attacking quality, while defences were on top at the Stadium of Light. So, a clean sheet was earned from both ‘keepers, perhaps more so Trafford.
The Leeds and England stopper produced four saves, even though one of which was from inside the box as the Black Cats struggled for a breakthrough.
As a result, it’s the latest in a growing list of assured performances from Trafford. As a result, he ranks impressively amongst Premier League ‘keepers in various metrics:
| James Trafford in the PL | Stats | PL ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Clean sheets | 3 | 4th |
| Save percentage | 83.3% | 1st |
| Saves per 90 | 3.8 | 3rd |
| Goals prevented | +2.0 | 3rd |
| Sweeper actions per 90 | 1.5 | 1st |
Evidently, Trafford is already proving a huge net-positive in goal for Leeds. Even though £40million felt like a lot of money at the time, Leeds are seeing the fruits of that investment after eight Premier League games.
Daniel Farke heaps praise on Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford after Sunderland clean sheet
For Farke, it’ll no doubt be a relief to know that a poor attacking performance can be brushed aside to focus on the strength of his first-choice goalkeeper.
It’s the first time in decades Leeds have had a No1 that makes us feel so safe watching on. Of course for Farke, he’s full of praise, unsurprisingly.
“Of course, he’s for me the most promising young goalkeeper in the UK and he has all potential, more or less, to be also one day England’s No. 1,” Farke said, per ESPN. “He shows this capability for us day in, week in, week out, but he has to keep going and show this with consistency. Again, I expect performances like this because he has potential to do this and nevertheless, we are all happy to have him.”
There were smart saves to deny Brian Brobbey and Nilson Angulo across that windy 90 minutes on Wearside. Farke doesn’t think those stops were truly “unbelievable”, but notes how it’s almost expected from him at this point.
“I wouldn’t say there was an unbelievable, world class save, but several good saves and he has shown also today why we were so desperate to sign him. Yes, his natural belief and skills, his aura and confidence also inspires the players in front of him but to be honest, I was expecting a performance like this from him, this is why we spent some money on him.
“I expect also a goalkeeper for Leeds on this level in a difficult away game to be the here and there. I don’t expect anything less than the performance that he showed today.”
