Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel “likes” Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traoré, according to Simon Phillips of Talk Chelsea and Chelsea News.
The 26-year-old has reportedly been mooted as a potential option at right wing-back for the Stamford Bridge club this season.
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What’s the latest on Traoré?
It will be an interesting remaining few weeks of the transfer window for Traoré, whose current contract at Molineux will expire next summer.
It was thought that the eight-time Spain international had played his last game for Wolves last winter, after he re-joined former club Barcelona in a loan move, with the La Liga club having a £29m buy option at the end of the loan, this summer.
However, the Catalan giants chose not to take up that option, and it now looks likely that Traoré, who has previously been described as "unplayable" by Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp, could leave Wolves for the right price this summer, though manager Bruno Lage has admitted he is keen to keep the attacker at the club.
But Phillips believes that Tuchel is a big fan of the winger, and talk of a potential move for the speedster could arise at the end of the window.
What has Phillips said about Traoré?
He told GIVEMESPORT: “Another player that Tuchel likes is Adama Traoré.
“He can play as a wing-back and an attacker, so I think that's another player who could come back up again at the end of this window.”
Would Traoré be a good signing at Chelsea?
Traoré, who has been rumoured to be available at £10m, would certainly be an interesting addition at Stamford Bridge, and probably would not have been the first name Chelsea fans had in mind when thinking about someone to fill that potential right wing-back slot.
The former Middlesbrough man had an underwhelming loan spell at the Nou Camp last season, scoring no goals and providing just two assists in 379 minutes of football, according to WhoScored.
However, the speedster’s dribbling stats are incredibly impressive, with the wide-man ranking in the top 1% of attacking midfielders/wingers in the top five European leagues and European competition for progressive dribbles per 90 minutes (5.24) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
The same stats provider also ranks Traoré in the top 3% of attacking midfielders/wingers for progressive carries per 90 minutes (10.49), suggesting that the Spaniard could excel in that wing-back position, under the right coaching.
Traoré may not be the most exceptional finisher or provider of goals, but if Tuchel can improve the former Aston Villa man’s defensive awareness and mindset, Todd Boehly may just have a gem of a signing on his hands.