West Ham eye move for James Trafford & Aaron Ramsdale | OneFootball

West Ham United have several holes in their squad to fill in the summer transfer window as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2024/25 season.

Top of the priority list for the Hammers will likely be a centre-forward. Summer signing Niclas Fullkrug is struggling due to injuries, and Michail Antonio is in the twilight of his career.

Also, West Ham should be in the market for a goalkeeper, with Alphonse Areola grossly underperforming between the sticks and Lukasz Fabianski entering the final year of his contract at 39.

West Ham need a new number one to provide the last line of defence, and it appears the Irons have identified two shot-stoppers for the job.

Ramsdale would be the cheaper option for West Ham. Southampton are expected to drop down to the Championship. The England international remains highly rated despite being on the verge of his third relegation from the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Trafford has been turning heads in the Championship, with Burnley looking to climb back into the top flight. He has kept 26 clean sheets in 37 league games this season. The Hammers will face competition from Newcastle United for his signature.

West Ham should pull out all the stops to sign Trafford

Trafford endured a torrid time in the Premier League last term as he was dropped for the final 10 games under Vincent Kompany before they suffered relegation. However, he has rebuilt his confidence and is one of the better goalkeepers in England. West Ham should be all over him.

Trafford has conceded only 11 goals this term – Ramsdale has shipped 50 so far. The Southampton guardian has recorded -1.65 goals prevented. His Burnley counterpart registered +11.40 (!).

Burnley manager Scott Parker praised Trafford’s performances, saying (via the BBC): “For such a young boy coming into that division, he had some hard times, some challenging times.

“But this is a special goalkeeper. He has absolutely huge potential. I would have said the same thing last week or four weeks ago.

“He is confident, he believes in himself and you need that to get to the top, top level. He has that and he backs it up with what he does in between the posts.”

West Ham cannot afford to take risks in such a crucial position. Trafford’s resurgence in the Championship makes him the standout choice.

While Ramsdale has Premier League experience, his struggles this season raise concerns about his reliability. In contrast, Trafford’s confidence and form suggest he could be the ideal successor to Fabianski, providing stability between the West Ham sticks for years to come.