Will Adama Traore Do Well At Barcelona?

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Published by Chris Jenkins
31st Jan 2022
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In a somewhat unexpected move, it was announced that Wolves’ player Adama Traore has joined Barcelona for the rest of the season on loan. The player had previously been linked with Spurs, and there was a lot of speculation about whether or not he would go and how well he would perform with Antonio Conte as his manager.

With his arrival at Barcelona, many interesting questions have been raised. Having previously played for the club as a young man, many things have changed. It’s worth looking into how his career has progressed and what this loan deal could mean for the player. 

Barcelona FC have been going through a transitional period and are desperate to regain their success. It remains to be seen whether Traore will contribute in a big way for the rest of the season.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at the history of Traore and consider how his career progression and physical attributes will help him in his new role at Barca. We will also answer the question of will Adama Traore do well at Barcelona?

Early Career

Adama Traore was born in Barcelona. He grew up there, so the move back will undoubtedly be special for him. Playing football from a young age, he joined Barcelona’s youth set up when he was just 8 years old in 2004. 

He developed here over the years, honing his craft and growing into an exceptional footballer with amazing physical attributes. 

In 2013, Traore was promoted to play for the B-Team, for whom he made his debut on 6th October. Not long after this he made his debut for the first team in La Liga. He was only 17 years old, and came on to replace Neymar in a 4 nil win against Granada.

Over the next few months he appeared in the Champions League and making a name for himself amongst football scouts around the world.

Unfortunately, with such high levels of talent in the Barcelona squad, Traore had to go elsewhere to truly progress in his career. On 14th August 2015, Premier League club Aston Villa signed Traore. The deal was for five years.

At the time, Barcelona inserted a three-year buy-back clause into his contract, which shows that they always had an eye on the player and wanted him to return if the circumstances were right for both parties. 

In his debut for the club, he caused opponents Crystal Palace to score an own goal with one of his crosses. His actual first goal for the club came 3 days later when the team played Notts County in the League Cup.

This was a promising start for Traore and the player continued to get assists for the next few months. Unfortunately, he was dropped from the team due to a lack of discipline and the team were relegated at the end of the season.

This led to a change in career trajectory for the Spanish winger as he signed a four year deal with Middlesborough on 31st August 2016, just a year after signing for Villa. His time at Middlesbrough ended up working out well, as his work ethic increased and he won the Middlesbrough Fans’ Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year awards.

Clearly he was well liked at the club and started to work hard to earn his place in the world of competitive football. 

Return To The Premier League

On the 8th August 2018, Traore earned a spot back in the Premier League with the newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. His goal and assist tally had impressed the club and he was one of their top priorities in the window. 

One of the most notable things about Traore during this time is how much larger he was compared to other youth players who had once played for Barcelona. He had become a powerful, dynamic player and had grown in stature to become physically imposing. 

Traore was always a joy to watch for Wolves, and he’s the sort of player that strikes fear into a defensive line when he enters the pitch. Despite this, he isn’t always the most consistent player, and often his exciting runs came to nothing.

However, Traore always has the capacity to turn a game on its head. On 6th October 2019, he scored both goals in a 2-0 victory against Premier League champions Manchester City. He achieved this feat at City’s ground in his 50th appearance for Wolves. 

Under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Traore was able to thrive, but after the managers’ departure speculation began to arise about the players future.

When Antonio Conte arrived at Spurs, Traore was heavily linked with a move there. Many fans and pundits believed that a manager like Conte could get the best out of a player like Traore, and this may in fact be true. 

It would have been very interesting to see the pair link up, and maybe this will actually happen in the future. But for now, Traore has returned to his boyhood club Barcelona on loan for the rest of the season. 

Return To Barcelona

There is an option to make this deal permanent if Traore can perform to the best of his ability. Now is the time for him to combine all of his most positive aspects and go forward in his career playing for the club he grew up loving. 

With head coach Xavi now managing the club after a disastrous stint by Ronald Koeman, it will be fascinating to see whether Adama Traore does break into the first team and stay there. 

Barcelona are in a state of flux, and the playing field is wide open for new stars to emerge. One thing that Barcelona needs to find is the ability to battle it out on the pitch once again. Adama Traore is a player that can inspire the energy and passion, both in surrounding players and the fanbase.

This move could be a match made in heaven, but only if Traore works as hard as he knows he can. After losing his spot at the club once before, this is a make or break moment that he will have to make the most of. For more information on how you can see Traore in action for Barcelona, follow this link for tickets.