Adama Traore

No Premier League goal for a year - Is Adama Traore worth the hype?

The Spain international can be unplayable when on form, but is yet to find top performances so far in 2020/21

 
4:40pm on Monday 28th December 2020
By
Martin Macdonald

On Sunday Wolves successfully completed a comeback against Tottenham, drawing 1-1 following an equaliser from Roman Saiss.

Once again, their goalscorer was not Adama Traore who, as of 27 December went a full calendar year without finding the back of the net in the Premier League.

The last time Traore got on the scoresheet was just after Christmas in 2019 when Wolves impressively defeated Man City 3-2.

He was magnificent in that match, recording an assist as well as a goal, earning a 8.9 FC Rating.

The Spaniard was arguably at the height of his powers in 2019/20, contributing to 13 goals in 27 starts via four scored himself plus nine assists.

In eight starts and 15 appearances in the Premier League in 2020/21, however, he has not scored a single goal or recorded a single assist.

With regards to his most recent form, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has claimed it is down to a niggling injury.

"My admiration for Adama is obvious. As a player, he is unique,' Nuno told the Mirror.

"He is fantastic and talented but unfortunately, he's been affected by problems, both in matches and during training.

"Since he returned from his national team, he has not been totally confident in training. He's had a knock on his foot. But he has shown a commitment to overcome the pain he feels and I'm immensely proud of him.

"So it's not about him playing in the starting XI or that he is coming off the bench – he's shown what he is capable of. And he's getting better – but every time he plays, he's clearly a target.

"It happened against Chelsea. In his first involvement in the game, he took a big knock.

Adama Traore in the Premier League

Stat2019/202020/21
Appearances3715
Goals40
Assists90
Completed Dribbles P906.35.4
Completing Crosses P906.36.1
Big Chances Created121

"That totally unbalanced him. He was getting better then, suddenly, in one second, he goes. Unfortunately, this is football. We are trying to bring back the best in Adama but it is not that easy."

The talent within Traore is, however, undeniable. Out of everyone in the Premier League this season, nobody has a better record for dribbles completed per 90 minutes, with his score of 5.4 well above Allan Saint-Maximin in second on 4.3.

In terms of completed crosses, though, he could certainly improve, as his 6.1 per 90 is the 15th best in the league.

Ahead of the new season, Traore was linked with a move away from Wolves due to his supreme form in the months previous, with Jurgen Klopp reportedly an admirer.

Talk of a move away has died down slightly as the season has gone on, but with January approaching it is now Leeds who have made their interest known.

Rumours will only intensify as long as Traore's contract situation with Wolves is not sorted, as he is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, which may lead Nuno and the club to consider cashing in on the flying Spaniard.

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