Chelsea have maintained a bit of a formula when it comes to the majority of players they have been linked with in the early stages of the summer transfer window.
The announced signing of Liam Delap, as well as strongly linked targets Jamie Gittens and Morgan Rogers, have all spent time developing their career as part of the Manchester City academy.
This follows suit with Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo and even manager Enzo Maresca in figures at Stamford Bridge who made their name in the North-West.
Clearly, there is plenty of talent to choose from in this category, and Chelsea have already made a bid for Gittens as they try and secure the addition before the Club World Cup.
Chelsea must prioritise signing James Trafford instead of Jamie Gittens
A goalkeeper seems high up on the list of priorities for the Blues too, with them closing in on the signing of Mike Maignan from AC Milan.
However, the Blues could look to follow their own pattern by looking instead to sign James Trafford from Burnley as their new number one.
Chelsea have previous interest in Trafford, with a number of the first team players having experience playing with him through the youth levels at England.
Noni Madueke is a big fan of Trafford, and his outstanding record from the previous season is a great indicator that he is ready for the step up.
James Trafford’s record-breaking 2024/25
His side conceded an outrageously low 16 goals in 46 league games last season, with Trafford breaking Petr Cech’s clean sheet record in the process.
Chelsea’s defensive record from the 2004/05 season is likely to last the test of time in the top flight, however they made strides towards being one of the best backlines in the league again last season in Maresca’s first in charge.
This is despite the fact that their goalkeepers failed to impress last season. A number of points were thrown away following errors from Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen.
Signing Trafford would help bring solidity at the back and maintain their desire to sign young, promising players who can grow to become one of the best teams in world football.
