Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford has the highest save percentage in the league - and now as the aura to bounce back from mistakes and rival Jordan Pickford

It might seem strange to be talking about James Trafford replacing Jordan Pickford as England's number one after the Leeds goalkeeper's error gave Bournemouth the lead in Saturday's 2-0 defeat.

Even more so after Pickford bagged another clean sheet against Newcastle, silencing his Geordie haters and milking the 'Jordan Pickford is Dynamite" chant from his travelling fans.

But his manager Daniel Farke has talked up Trafford's 24-year-old's "swagger" and "aura" this season - something that is harder to measure in pure footballing data than his Premier League high save ratio of 80.5 per cent.

Ahead of Thomas Tuchel's England squad announcement on Friday and next week's Nations League games, a radio discussion on the topic of English goalkeepers challenged pundits to name one England game where Everton stopper Pickford had "won or saved the game for his country". Maybe the Colombia penalty shoot-out in 2018?

We asked four of our experts to take up the England goalkeeper debate.

Has Trafford now added enough personality and consistency to his game? And is he ready to take Pickford's England No1 spot ahead for the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign?

'Trafford's trophy-winning aura'

Isaac Johnson, Leeds correspondent

Daniel Farke is clear on James Trafford’s quality. “For me, he’s the most promising young goalkeeper in the UK and he has all potential to be England’s number one, one day.”

The Leeds United boss was desperate to sign the “top class” goalkeeper over the summer and boardroom chiefs paid special attention to make sure his club-record £40m transfer got over the line, aware of the high interest in him.

Trafford himself is just pleased to play football again. It is no secret that he re-signed for Manchester City in 2025 expecting to be number one before the Blues swooped for Gianluigi Donnarumma, dashing those hopes.

But Trafford was the man in goal when Man City lifted two trophies last season, which is why he rightly still denotes the last campaign as a success. Farke has more than once referenced the “aura” the 24-year-old exudes onto the pitch and into teammates.

Bosnian centre-back Tarik Muharemovic, another very promising Leeds summer signing, has eulogised over his quality, stating he instils confidence into the defence and is already his own personal choice for England number one.

Thomas Tuchel clearly has one eye on the prospect of this, having given him the nod against champions Spain during the last international break. His two starts, the other coming in a 2-0 win over Czechia, were to test the waters and see how far off Jordan Pickford he is.

Trafford - who has a Premier League high save ratio of 80.5% so far this season - is not yet quite at the level to become the Three Lions number one and is not yet the complete package, as seen against Bournemouth this weekend.

His pass straight to Justin Kluivert, who set up Evanilson for the opening goal in the 2-0 defeat, was reminiscent of a similar give-away while featuring for Man City against Tottenham Hotspur 14 months ago.

Farke described it as an "own goal". But he does not want Trafford - whose pass accuracy sits at a moderate 65.1% - to alter his ways. “He shouldn't change too much just after a mistake, because then he also takes away many strengths of his game,” he said afterwards.

“It's the life of a football player that the sun is not always shining, and especially in the life of a young goalkeeper.”

Indeed, one notable difference between Pickford and Trafford is age. By the time the home European Championships come around, Trafford will be 26 and Pickford, 34 - not ancient in the lifespan of a goalkeeper, but hardly in his prime like his England colleague.

It’s worth noting there is a healthy rivalry between the two goalkeepers, the pair getting on well while away on international duty. In fact, Trafford is a much-loved character anywhere he goes.

As seen in his TV interviews, his genuine demeanour is a delightful change from the usual media-trained humdrum and this has endeared him even more to Leeds fans. He has also clearly struck up a bromance with third choice goalkeeper Alex Cairns, 10 years his senior.

The pair have a pre-match routine of sharing a huge embrace before kick-off amid the air that all of the goalkeeping department - including back-up Michael Zetterer and coach Ed Wootton - wish to help him on his way to that England no.1 jersey.

'Some Man City fans think he's better than Donnarumma'

Simon Bajkowski, Manchester City correspondent

Manchester City saw that James Trafford had the potential to be their No.1 when they let him leave for a record-breaking spell at Burnley and, despite it not working out last year, that feeling has not changed. Just as City matched the fee that Newcastle offered last year, so too they will be alerted if anybody comes knocking at Elland Road in the future.

It was sad to see Trafford last year.

Footballers are human beings and for somebody who was so happy as he spoke to a few of us in pre-season dreaming of being No.1 for club and country for a decade, in came Gianluigi Donnarumma behind his back and effectively stopped him playing for a year.

Some City fans would rather have Trafford in goal now and see him as the better keeper, but what he didn't have last year was the swagger that Farke now talks of. It was there at times of course, as it had been on loan at Bolton, but it went missing and more worrying than him making mistakes against Spurs in his first home game was how it affected him afterwards as his confidence visibly dropped.

That ability that the best in the business have in every position, to be able to forget mistakes instantly and move on to the next action, is not only something that Donnarumma has (as does Jordan Pickford for England) but it was something that City badly needed in a team that had lost the experience of several senior stars.

Trafford could have perfectly dropped into the Treble-winning team or the one that had won four leagues in a row, but in a summer of so much churn City needed a more experienced head at the back.

There were no doubts that Trafford would thrive at Leeds though and relish the crowd, and it's brilliant to see him shining. He can be one of the best goalkeepers in world football and is still young, so there is plenty of time.

City may well come calling for him again in the next few years should they avoid serious sanctions in the 115 case and others surely will as well, but Leeds looks to be the perfect place for him to push Pickford for England selection.

'Pickford's form on Everton fans' list of concerns'

Connor O'Neill, Everton correspondent

St James' Park has not always been a happy hunting ground for Jordan Pickford.

It wasn't that long ago that he played a major role in his side's collapse after they raced into a 2-0 lead. While under Carlo Ancelotti, Pickford once watched from the bench as Robin Olsen was handed a surprise opportunity.

There is also no love lost between Pickford and Newcastle supporters, and it was no surprise that his name was booed when the teams were read out on Monday night and he himself was booed throughout the game.

However, the Everton man had the last laugh.

Substitute Yoane Wissa managed to find space inside the box in the 85th minute, but Pickford blocked his low effort. With that, it was another three points for the Blues and another clean sheet for the England international.

Since David Moyes returned to Everton in January 2025, only Arsenal (31) and Manchester City (28) have kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than the Blues (20).

But while that stat is impressive, it is also fair to say that Blues supporters have, at times this season, had concerns about Pickford's form, and a drop off in the impressive standards he has set.

On more than one occasion so far this season, Everton have conceded and straight away fans have been left questioning whether their No.1 could have done better.

The 2-0 defeat to Chelsea is a prime example. On that afternoon, both of Pedro Neto’s goals left supporters questioning whether Pickford should have saved both efforts. There is also no denying that Pickford is facing serious competition for his England No.1 spot for the first time in eight years.

James Trafford was open and honest when he told the Everton star last month: “It’s obviously a goal of mine to be England’s No1. My dream’s always been to play for England and it’s something you work towards everyday.”

But if Pickford is feeling the pressure then he has shown no signs of showing it in Everton's last two matches, which have ended in victories over the Magpies.

Trafford is a very good goalkeeper who may well replace Pickford as England's No.1, but given how well the former Sunderland man has started to play, that might not happen just yet.

'Trafford seen as better technical goalkeeper'

Mirror chief football writer John Cross

There should be no doubt in how Thomas Tuchel views James Trafford. The England manager regards the Leeds keeper as having the potential to be his next No1 and successor to Jordan Pickford.

Tuchel’s job share between Pickford and Trafford - they got two games each in the last round of Nations League fixtures - was no empty gesture.

It was a full dress rehearsal for Trafford to show what he can do, prove himself against top opposition (Spain and then Czech Republic) and he played well in both games. There is genuine competition now.

Trafford is not just a good shot stopper, he is seen as being good with his feet, being able to play out and build play from the back and is regarded within the Football Association as the next big hope. Good reflexes, starting position, reading of the game, concentration and focus.

And yes, there will be errors and missteps along the way, like Trafford’s howler at Bournemouth. But that is part of the learning process. John Stones came through it and is now remembered as one of England’s best ever defenders.

Trafford spoke in the summer at the World Cup about his need to be a No1 at a Premier League to actually challenge Pickford and that is why he left Manchester City to join Leeds.

Let’s be clear: Pickford had a decent World Cup. He rarely lets England down. But could he have done better against Argentina? What about that goal against Norway? And DR Congo?

I’m not sure any were deemed as howlers that would see Pickford get dropped. But if you speak to coaches or people within the game (and I’m sure this would be the case for the England set-up) then Trafford is seen as better technically.

It’s now up to Trafford to prove it on the pitch. Pickford remains No1 for now.

Of course Dean Henderson got the nod for England’s third place play-off against France in the World Cup. Is he actually back-up? No. One well-placed source tells me that Trafford is next in line for the long term.

If I was a betting man, I’d be putting a few quid on Trafford being England’s No1 in time for Euro 2028.