Pickford or Trafford? England’s battle for number one begins
Sports
ENGLAND’s long-standing goalkeeping hierarchy has been challenged after James Trafford made his competitive debut against Spain, with manager Thomas Tuchel giving him an opportunity to compete with Jordan Pickford for the number-one position.
Pickford has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper since his international debut in 2017 and has started at the past three major tournaments.
However, Trafford started Saturday’s 3-2 Nations League defeat by Spain as Tuchel began assessing whether the 23-year-old can eventually replace the Everton goalkeeper.
Tuchel has confirmed that Pickford and Trafford will each play two matches during the current international break.
“I think he deserved to get the two matches, that’s why we gave him two matches,” Tuchel said of Trafford.
“Jordan did absolutely nothing wrong but we wanted to use this competition to see how far actually James is.”
Trafford impressed during the opening stages against Spain, displaying confidence with the ball and making an important save to deny Ferran Torres.
He nevertheless conceded three goals as England lost to the world champions.
His club form has also strengthened his case. Trafford joined Leeds in a deal worth up to £45m after spells with Manchester City and Burnley and has helped Leeds move into fifth place in the Premier League this season.
The goalkeeper has already kept two clean sheets.
Trafford’s career has developed rapidly. He joined Burnley from Manchester City in 2023 and initially struggled as the Clarets conceded 67 goals in 28 matches.
He subsequently played a key role in Burnley’s promotion campaign in 2024-25, when they conceded only 16 goals.
Manchester City brought him back for £27m last summer, but the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma limited his opportunities. Trafford nevertheless started both the FA Cup final and Carabao Cup final before moving to Leeds.
He also helped England’s Under-21 side win the European Championship in 2023, saving a stoppage-time penalty against Spain in the final.
Pickford, meanwhile, has established a substantial international record.
The 32-year-old has 91 England appearances and 46 clean sheets, and became England’s most-capped goalkeeper at World Cups when he overtook Peter Shilton during the 2026 tournament.
Since the beginning of the 2024-25 Premier League season, Pickford has prevented more expected goals than any other goalkeeper, according to the figures cited by the BBC.
This season, however, the statistical gap between the two has been narrower, with Pickford recording a higher number of goals prevented while Trafford has the better save percentage and passing accuracy.
Pickford has also played an important role in England’s recent tournament runs, including their progression to the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said Pickford would naturally question why he had not been selected against Spain.
“Jordan Pickford will be very disappointed,” Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“If he is number one, then why is he not playing against the world champions?”
The immediate question is therefore less about Pickford’s established record than about whether Trafford can turn his recent club and international performances into a sustained challenge.
Tuchel’s decision to split playing time between the two goalkeepers provides an opportunity to assess both before England’s next major tournament campaign. (BBC)
M.P
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