An update has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Adama Traore this week…
What’s the word?
According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, Spurs are hoping to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers star on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer.
It’s thought that the Midlands outfit may be forced into accepting such a deal as the 25-year-old wide man has entered the final 18 months of his current contract, though they would prefer a straight £20m deal.
Should Spurs pay £20m for Traore THIS month?
YES, 100%
NO WAY!
The north Londoners’ willingness to offload Steven Bergwijn could help fund a permanent move before deadline day.
Traore is believed to be manager Antonio Conte’s first-choice to fill one of the three positions – right wing-back – that the club have prioritised this month.
Imagine him and Kane
Spurs have certainly been lacking in the final third this season, with leading talisman Harry Kane horribly out-of-sorts in the Premier League. He has scored only four goals in 17 games, as per Transfermarkt.
That accounts for 17.4% of all their goals scored – compare that to last season and the England skipper produced a whopping 33.8% of their goals.
With wing-backs ever so crucial to Conte’s system, there is a need for him to find the right option in order to provide Kane with sufficient service to get him back firing again.
This is where Traore fits the bill immensely.
A combination of his brute strength and dribbling ability make him a lethal threat along the flank. There have been concerns with his end product but ultimately, you aren’t being played at right wing-back to deliver goals.
He leads the Premier League on the ball, averaging a massive 4.5 dribbles per game – by comparison, Conte’s current first-choice option, Emerson Royal, manages just 0.8 successful attempts per outing.
Former Manchester United defender turned pundit Rio Ferdinand once dubbed the Wolves man as a “machine” to BT Sport (via BirminghamLive). “I was watching him pre-game and he could be a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer – he’s huge,” he added.
It’s his physicality that makes him a terrifying prospect for any Premier League defender, which is why Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has previously deemed him to be “unplayable” and “undefendable.”
Therefore, sporting director Fabio Paratici could form quite the lethal duo in N17 as Traore could be the attacking wing-back that Conte desperately needs to bring the best back out of Kane.
It’s no wonder the £25.2m-rated Spain international is a priority this month.
AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops worrying behind the scenes Antonio Conte claim…