Barcelona are reportedly seriously considering the prospect of bringing back Adama Traore, who currently plays for Wolves in the Premier League, in the summer.
According to an exclusive report from Birmingham Mail, Adama Traore is on the radar of former club Barcelona. The pacy winger has dazzled with his performances for Wolves in the Premier League and is one of the names being considered by the Catalan giants as part of their summer spending spree.
Adama Traore has always been a handful to deal with, due to his pace and dribbling ability. But, at Wolves, the Spaniard seems to have amalgamated his pace with end product and added more substance to his game. The improvement in terms of quality of football from Traore has seen him become one of the most feared players in the Premier League.
Traore has 5 goals and 10 assists to his name this season so far, with all of his goals and 7 of his 10 assists coming in the Premier League. While Wolves started off their 2019-20 Premier League campaign with a string of woeful results, Traore’s form has ensured wins over top oppositions.
The highlight of the season has been the double over Manchester City – a 2-0 win at Manchester City, wherein the former Barcelona star scored a brace followed by a win and an assist in a 3-2 win at home against the defending champions.
At Barcelona, there appears to be an attacking crisis brewing. Quique Setien seems to prefer the 4-4-2 diamond option, which seldom leaves room for wide attackers. But, the new manager also loves to tinker and a big reason for him sticking to the 4-4-2 diamond might stems from the fact that he does not have many quality wide options at his disposal.
With Luis Suarez injured, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann are being used upfront as the two forwards. With Ousmane Dembele injured and Arda Turan out on loan, this leaves Setien with no experienced option out wide, with the next best option being Ansu Fati and perhaps, playing Nelson Semedo a bit further up the pitch, if needed.
While Neymar has for long, been touted to be primed for a Barcelona return, Adama Traore seems to be on the up-and-up and will command a fee that is likely to be considerably lower than what PSG will ask for the Brazilian. Traore’s pace would also add an extra dimension to Barcelona’s playing style, with the Catalans not having any player of his calibre in their current squad.
When a player is labelled unplayable or unstoppable by the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, he is a prospect worth considering. Barcelona didn’t exercise their buyback option while he was at Aston VIlla. But, to be fair, he wasn’t the finished product he seems to be right now.
The Catalans might just be making the right decision if they opt to deal in their former player, regardless of how much they end up paying to Wolves.
