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Adama Traore
- Thread starter Denmark Spur
- Start date
Bishop
John Lacy
I'm surprised by this, you normally like hardworking mediocre players?
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
I agree with that and Harry Brooks seems like someone offering genuine knowledge and insight, I would definitely defer to his opinion over my own.
I think what he says is quite obviously true.
I would love for us to fix our issues in midfield, build from that with an attacking player that's great at combination play.
If our issues in midfield can't be adequately sorted out this summer having Traore as an option could be useful imo.
With Gil we (hopefully) already have that combination play option player to add to what Bergwijn already offers in that regard. Will take time for Gil, but that's the route we've gone down.
A proper playmaker in midfield could sort out more issues than Traore could, but finding that player who also has the required work rate and defensive ability for our current system is a big ask.
Traore will make the ball stick quite often when we get it to him. Allowing us to move up the pitch either through retaining possession or winning fouls. He is an immense threat on the break, would make it more dangerous for opponents to press us high, potentially giving our midfielders and defenders better working conditions.
If pressed high he gives us another target in addition to Kane, or a target at all when Kane isn't there when we're forced to go long.
Signing him would mean essentially abandoning what Brooks says we should do, but finding a potential half decent workaround for the here and now.
Finally, if Traore pushes on from where he is now with decision making and end product he would be a star. He's only 25 and no one will know as much about his potential for improvement as Nuno.
Bedfordspurs
Vinnie Samways
To add to your last line… why hasn’t he made that improvement under Nuno already ?
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
He has made significant improvements under Nuno already. I think that much is very clear. If he can push on from that and take further steps is the question imo.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
If we focus on what both players do on the ball. What exactly is Sissoko much better at than Traore? On the other hand, what is Traore better or much better at than Sissoko on the ball?
He went from being a starter to back up at Wolves under Nuno, that doesn't scream improvement to me
Bedfordspurs
Vinnie Samways
But he did change his baby oil
ricky2tricky4city
Steffen Freund
There is some logic to what you say HOWEVER, playing longer balls to Traore to fight for or run onto is not really his game. It's usually a simple pass to him and he begins his work from a standing start.
Currently we are not possession based or up the pitch enough to get him to rotate into some space to receive.
Maybe home games against lesser sides we will play like that .... we'll see against Watford.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
I think that's an oversimplification.
I think it was at Middlesbrough the manager would sometimes play him on either the right or the left, switching at half time, to play him on whatever side the dugout was at so the manager/coaches could shout instructions at him throughout.
He went from a maverick chaos engine ineffective attacking player to being capable of playing wing back for Wolves under Nuno. If that doesn't illustrate development I don't know. He's a much better player now than he was. His form dropped with his team and Nuno searched for solutions, including not using him as first choice.
Last season was poor from him and Wolves. If that was the blip in an upwards trajectory or the season before was the positive blip for an overall ineffective player is hard to evaluate perhaps. Again none better than Nuno to evaluate that.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
How much of that is playing style for Wolves vs. what Traore is capable of?
I'd think he'd be more likely to come out of a fight for possession following a longer ball than Son, Moura or Bergwijn.
He's really hard to disposess. Where he would previously mostly just turn and run into a crowd of players he now seems more than capable of holding on to possession and finding a teammate.
Legohamster
Ian Walker
Dier and Sanchez brick themselves against anyone
Bishop
John Lacy
Is there much point in him winning possession when he is incapable of playing a killer ball?
He'd be another blunt tool in our veritable handbag of blunt tools.
Rorschach
Sonny Walters
Maybe it is just me, but when Sissy goes on these runs only to balloon the ball into row Z I honestly have a good chuckle about it. I love the guy but he does make me laugh. I have a feeling that this purchase if it happens will end up being somewhat the same. So I think we should pull the trigger on this, for the laugh.
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For what it's worth, here's his xG over the last 3 seasons (i.e. 19/20, 20/21, and the two games from 21/22). I've removed games where he played full-back, striker, or came on as a sub.
Based on that his end product in terms of assists isn't actually too bad. And it's not his finishing that's the issue, but rather getting goalscoring chances in the first place.
Also, in terms of dribbling vs losing possession, here are his stats from the last 3 seasons (taken from Whoscored), vs Saha and Son for the sake of comparison:
So as well as successfully dribbling much more than both of them, he only loses the ball as much as he successfully dribbles (whereas Zaha and Son lose the ball more than twice as often as they successfully dribble).
Based on that his end product in terms of assists isn't actually too bad. And it's not his finishing that's the issue, but rather getting goalscoring chances in the first place.
Also, in terms of dribbling vs losing possession, here are his stats from the last 3 seasons (taken from Whoscored), vs Saha and Son for the sake of comparison:
So as well as successfully dribbling much more than both of them, he only loses the ball as much as he successfully dribbles (whereas Zaha and Son lose the ball more than twice as often as they successfully dribble).
