England international goalkeeper Pope joined the Magpies from the Clarets in June 2022 for an undisclosed fee.
The Soham-born shot-stopper spent six seasons at Turf Moor, twice winning Burnley’s player of the year award and helping the Clarets to qualify for Europe in 2017/18.
He was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2019/20, when he kept 15 clean sheets throughout the campaign, and made history as the first goalkeeper to keep clean sheets in his first six games for England.
Pope started his career with boyhood club Ipswich Town before dropping into non-league with Bury Town. From there, he joined Charlton Athletic before – following a series of loan moves – signing for Burnley in the summer of 2016, making a total of 155 appearances and firmly establishing himself as one of the country’s best goalkeepers.
He excelled during his first season on Tyneside, keeping 14 clean sheets in 37 Premier League outings to help return the Magpies to the Champions League after a two decade-long absence.
Pope has proven to be a shrewd acquisition since his switch from Burnley in the summer of 2022. Despite being sidelined with a shoulder injury for much of last term, he has kept 26 clean sheets in total across his two seasons on Tyneside so far.
Confidence is growing that James Trafford will be Newcastle United’s first signing of the summer after a patient wait from those inside St James’ Park. After a pursuit lasting longer than 12 months, the Burnley stopper has certainly had to bide his time amid rampant speculation over his future.
The Clarets have stuck an inflated price tag on Trafford’s signature of late after initially asking for £20m last summer. Since then, the goalkeeper has made history in the Championship and entered the fray to compete with Jordan Pickford at international level.
All signals in recent weeks have pointed towards Trafford arriving at St James’ Park, with movement expected in early July, when Newcastle will be on a healthier financial footing given the start of a new accounting period. The key date for the diaries is June 30, which marks the PSR deadline passing and a new, rolling three-year period starting.
Personal terms have never been an issue, given an agreement was reached on that front in 2024. Discussing last summer’s failed move, Trafford recently told Ben Foster’s ‘Fozcast’: “The club that I was close to going, it was a good fit for me. It was brilliant for me and I really believed in it.
“It was just when an opportunity and a situation you think suits you can happen, you should take it and you should try and go for it, so I wanted to move. It was close but it didn’t end up happening.”
