£27m player told he should already ‘regret’ snubbing Newcastle United

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Newcastle United missed out on a surprising number of top targets this summer.

By the time the transfer window closed, Newcastle had made six senior signings. Eddie Howe has every reason to be happy with the club’s business, which included a club-record deal for Nick Woltemade.

However, Newcastle’s summer activity took a while to burst into life. For a large portion of the window, the Magpies were viewed as rejection FC.

So many targets came and went, with the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko ignoring Newcastle United’s advances to move elsewhere.

Another player who Newcastle missed out on was James Trafford. He moved to Manchester City for £27million, but may already be questioning his decision to return to the Etihad.

James Trafford to Newcastle United was a missed opportunity

That is the view of transfer expert Graeme Bailey, who has spoken to Geordie Boot Boys to reflect on Newcastle’s summer transfer activity.

In the eyes of Bailey, Trafford might regret choosing to return to Manchester City ahead of joining Newcastle, before questioning why the Toon recruitment team did not get a deal done sooner.

“I think James Trafford might regret his decision,” he said.

“I think Newcastle should have done the Trafford deal. The chance was there for them to do it, long before Manchester City came in.

“Newcastle were trying to get Trafford for well over 12 months.

“However, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale being there mean Newcastle are not going to miss out in terms of performances or ability.”

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Newcastle were agonisingly close to signing Trafford, only for Manchester City to swoop in at the final second.

Trafford always wanted to return to Man City after leaving in 2023, so it was no surprise that he jumped at the opportunity and rejected the Magpies.

Since arriving from Burnley, Trafford has endured a tough start. He has started all three of Manchester City’s games so far, making a costly error during a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola has since signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, who looks poised to take Trafford’s position in the Man City starting XI.

All the while, Newcastle signed Aaron Ramsdale on loan instead. He is pushing Nick Pope for a place in Eddie Howe’s side, and will hope to earn a permanent move at the end of the season.

Newcastle have the option to buy Ramsdale in 2026, rather than an obligation. That gives the Magpies the chance to assess their options next summer before deciding whether or not Ramsdale is going to be their long-term number one.

They wanted it to be Trafford, but he decided to go elsewhere. As it stands, that could prove to be a mistake.