Aston Villa’s mass overhaul continued apace with the capture of Barcelona winger Adama Traore on a five-year deal. The former Spain U19 international – who became the Villains’ tenth new recruit this summer – said that the West Midlands club was his favoured transfer destination:
“It’s an honour for me to come here. It’s a club that showed interest in me from the first moment and made me feel important in terms of their project. I have spoken to the manager and have a very good impression of him and what he wants from me. All this have made this club my top attraction. I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone at FC Barcelona for helping me develop as a player and as a person.”
The History
Born in Catalonia, Traore enrolled at Barcelona’s world-renowned La Masia academy in 2004, where he would spend the next nine years learning his trade. It wasn’t until 2013 that Traore earned a spot in the Barcelona B team, who competed in the second tier of Spanish football.
After making his debut for the reserves in October 2013, Traore was afforded regular starts in the second half of the campaign; he went on to bag five goals and four assists across 26 outings at the right-wing berth, clocking 1462 minutes in the process. The 2013/14 season also saw the precocious 17-year-old make his competitive bow for the senior team, with brief cameos arriving in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Traore was a permanent fixture for the B team the following term, tallying three goals and 14 assists in 37 outings. Despite his best efforts, they were relegated from Segunda Division, having finished nine points adrift of safety at the foot of the table. Traore would notch a further two starts for the senior squad in the Copa del Rey tournament, netting a brilliant solo goal in an 8-1 demolition of third-tier side Huesca.
Still just 19 years of age, Traore has represented Spain at the U16, U17 and U19 levels. His last run-outs on the international stage occurred in the summer of 2014, when he bagged two assists for Spain in the group stages of the U19 European Championship.
The Prospects
Sherwood was clearly delighted with his coup after announcing the deal. Discussing his new acquisition with the local press, the Villa boss revealed he’s been a long-term admirer of Traore, though was quick to confirm he’ll be allowed time to settle:
“He’s someone I have been tracking for a long time. He’s physically a man – and he has been for some time. He’s a big powerful boy, very quick, dynamic and a maverick-type player. He stays wide, picks the ball up, runs at defenders and doesn’t give them a minute’s peace. We are delighted he has chosen Aston Villa to continue his development, but that is what it is (development). He is not the finished article by any means. He is certainly a player who can help us out now, but for the long term future he could be magnificent.”
Traore has been deployed on the left wing on the rare occasion, but the bulk of his youth career has been spent on the right flank. Despite boasting an explosive turn of pace that enables him to steal a march on most opposing full-backs, the Catalonian winger displays a propensity for cutting inside and shooting with his less-favoured (left) foot – which perhaps explains he was only able to muster three goals last term.
Akin to Tottenham Hotspur’s Andros Townsend, Traore’s decision-making has been pinpointed as a prime area for improvement. Pooling all the players from the Segunda Division and Europe’s top five leagues, Traore (243) attempted 63 more dribbles than the next-most prolific ball-hogger, Eden Hazard (180). Considering that the young Spaniard falls well short of the Belgian superstar in terms of end product, Sherwood will likely need to reign in this aspect of Traore’s play in the Premier League.
Couple the recruitment of Traore and Jordan Ayew with the imminent return of injured duo Carles Gil and Jack Grealish, in addition to the likes of Scott Sinclair and Gabby Agbonlahor, and it’s clear that Sherwood has a bevy of wide options at his disposal – that’s before you factor in the possibility of Leandro Bacuna adopting an advanced role, as he did in pre-season.
Sherwood has utilised a 4-3-3 in the first couple of fixtures but may switch to a 4-2-3-1 set-up in light of their recent arrivals, with Grealish or Gil operating at the number ten berth. With Ayew favourite to take up the right flank berth in a lone striker system, Traore would be pushing Sinclair for a start on the left in such a set-up. Alternatively, the Villains could operate with a 4-4-2, which could allow Ayew to moved up top and hand Traore the role on the right.
Having scored just once in the opening two Gameweeks, though, it’s fair to say that most Fantasy managers will be steering well clear of Villa’s attacking recruits until they start to look a little more cohesive after a summer of restructuring.
In spite of a relatively kind price of 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and a strong quartet of upcoming fixtures (cry, SUN, lei, WBA), Traore looks likely to be eased into contention ensuring that he’s to be filed under “one for the future”.
