AVERAGE ADAMA: IS WOLVES STAR TRAORE OVERRATED

Featured Image Credit: Express & Star

Since signing for Wolverhampton Wanders from a relegated Middlesbrough, Adama Traore has been heaped with praise again and again by various sources.

But why?

The Spanish international has registered just five goals and 10 assists in 76 Premier League games for Wolves, an average of a goal contribution every five games, far from elite numbers.

However, in his time at Wolves he has broken the Premier League record for dribbles in a game, completing 15 dribbles in a single match, significantly more than the next best.

On top of that, he has the most take-ons completed in the league last season, completing 183 take-ons, a shocking 20 more than second-best Wilfried Zaha and 111 more than £72 million Arsenal signing Nicolas Pepe.

So Traore’s output is anything but elite but his dribbles and such his ball-progression is possibly the best in the league.

The wide man has the two key attributes that make a good player in the Premier League, pace and power.

It is because of this that his dribble output is so high.

However, if Traore is to live up to the hype around him then there are some areas on his game that he needs to work on.

Currently, Traore is only taking 0.6 shots per game in the league this season.

Elite wingers such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane take 3.9 and 3 shots per game respectively.

This shows that Traore’s lack of output is more likely to his lack of shots rather than his finishing ability or anything else.

Last season was his best to date, with 4 goals and 9 assists.

However, this term he has struggled to make himself a nailed-on starter, starting five times and coming off the bench the same amount of time.

With the emergence of Portuguese star Pedro Neto, Traore hasn’t got the time on the pitch he would have been hoping for. As the youngster has bagged three goals and an assist in the Premier League, starting nine compared to the five of Adama.

Neto also contributes more than double the amount of shots per game, currently average 1.8.

Traore will only hope that he can make a resurgence as the rampant Christmas schedule approaches, whether it be in his preferred position on the wing or as a make shift right wing-back, a position he has been deployed in before.

If he is to once again become a mainstay in the team though, he needs to up his shot output to allow him to become more of a goal threat than he currently is.