Newcastle United's goalkeeping department has been a hot topic of conversation of late and one man who continues to be touted as a possible new arrival in between the sticks is Burnley's James Trafford.

Newcastle's interest is nothing new, with club scouts and Eddie Howe admiring, and pursuing, the shot-stopper last summer. However, back then the mood around the player, from the outside, was very different.

Trafford had just endured a dismal season with Burnley as the Clarets were relegated in poor fashion under Vincent Kompany. The goalkeeper had found himself taken out of the team for backup star Arijanet Muric towards the business end of the campaign, with neither player capable of keeping the north west outfit in the top flight.

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Naturally, there was scepticism from the outside as to whether Trafford was worth the £20m price tag Burnley placed on his head. You suspect the Championship promotion hopefuls will be able to ask for an even greater fee given the 22-year-old's form in recent months.

Friday's 0-0 stalemate between Burnley and Sunderland sees the former separated from top spot on goal difference alone - and Trafford had a huge say in the draw with TWO crucial penalty saves in the closing stages.

The result means the promotion contenders have still only conceded NINE goals in 27 league matches - the least of any side at this stage in the history of the Championship stretching back to 2004 - with Trafford featuring in all but one second tier clash this season - keeping 17 clean sheets in the process.

The first Championship game of the weekend, with second taking on fourth, saw two heavyweights going head to head - and Trafford involved throughout. However, it wasn't all plain sailing for the goalkeeper in the early stages.

As the half-time whistle sounded, Trafford had faced a grand total of zero shots on target but had gotten away with three mistakes at the back. This, due to Burnley's penchant for playing out from the back under Scott Parker.

For the most part Trafford reacted well to receiving the ball inside his own penalty area as the home side attempted to build out from the back but a couple of occasions almost saw him caught out. Sunderland's Wilson Isidor pressured his opponent into almost giving the ball away late in the half, while another of Trafford's passes went straight out for a throw-in.

Those incidents followed a hairy, sixth-minute error for the stopper, who raced miles out from goal to try and cut out a long ball towards Isidor. Trafford got his timing all wrong - in a move that smacked of Nick Pope vs Liverpool in 2023 - and had to be bailed out by Maxime Esteve with some solid defending.

The second-half saw him tested for the first time when a weak shot trickled his way in the 75th-minute but 10 minutes later Trafford would get his first of two huge moments in the sun when he saved a controversial penalty from Isidor down to his left.

That looked to be enough for the Clarets to grab a result before Sunderland were awarded a second, contentious spot-kick midway through the six minutes of added on time. Surely, surely the Black Cats couldn't waste another opportunity?

Step forward Trafford once more. Again denying Isidor down to his left, the goalkeeper got another strong-hand to keep out a missile of an attempt on goal from 12 yards out.

Perhaps the keeper's pre-penalty antics had something to do with it? Possibly. After all, Trafford had dropped to the ground with cramp in the build-up to the late spot-kick, before getting to his feet having made a miraculous recovery when the referee brandished a yellow card.

A moment of cheeky genius that just helped add to the tension in the dying seconds - and one straight from the playbook of Newcastle's famous 'game-management' under Howe.

Overall it was hard to judge the youngster's shot-stopping capabilities given Sunderland's failure to really test him from open play. In terms of statistics, Trafford enjoyed 49 touches, five more than his opposite number Anthony Patterson, and a pass success rate of 70% [30/43].

There is a lot to like about his ability with the ball at his feet - despite some close shaves in the early stages. Trafford is confident, composed and brave in possession - and we have seen first-hand how much better Newcastle look as a collective when they have a goalkeeper who is comfortable starting attacks from the opposite end of the pitch.

That is the type of player Howe wants in his team and unfortunately doesn't have in current No 1 Nick Pope. With the aforementioned English stopper reaching the latter stages of his career, Trafford is the future and fits the age profile of a potential backup stopper who can be the next improver under Howe's stewardship.

“If you look at England goalkeepers, he’s up-and-coming, he’s got a real good chance for the future of earning caps and he’ll know that as well," Burnley team-mate Joe Worrall said this week. "It’s an exciting time. I wish I was in his position so I could start again and have a good go.”

Burnley won't sell this month and Newcastle aren't in a position to buy. Yet in the summer, who knows?

Martin Dubravka will likely have moved on by then and that means Newcastle will be in the market for a competitor to challenge Pope. They will also have greater finances to aid that mission.

There is a lot to like about Trafford and Friday showed it. You suspect a revival of that previous transfer interest will be met with a slightly more positive reaction this time around.