MY ACCOUNT
Adama Traore sealed an emotional return to Barcelona on an initial loan from Wolves during the January transfer window.
The 26-year-old — a graduate from Barca’s famed La Masia academy — left the club for England in search of first-team football in 2015, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar then untouchable in the Barca XI.
Initially struggling during spells at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, the Spanish winger has shown his quality in the Premier League at Wolves — though it seems the pacey powerhouse still has unfulfilled potential.
Ahead of a potential LaLiga debut against Atletico Madrid this Sunday, we consider whether Traore is primed for a key role in Xavi’s side.
Homecoming
Once it became apparent that Traore could be leaving Wolves this January, plenty of Premier League suitors emerged.
Tottenham long seemed his most likely destination but as soon as Barca’s interest became apparent, it was clear that a return to his hometown would be the only place Traore was heading.
Born and raised in Catalonia before joining La Masia at the age of eight, the loan with an option to make the move permanent in the summer was impossible to turn down.
After being unveiled as a Blaugrana player once again, Traore said: “I’m so happy to come back here. It’s been a long time.
“For me, it’s a special moment because it’s been many years since I’ve played here. I grew up in this town with my family and friends.
“I would like to give back that happiness on the pitch.”
Potential
Anyone who has watched Traore in full flow will have seen the immense ability the winger possesses.
He has struck terror into some of the Premier League’s best defenders with his blistering pace, power and strength.
Despite playing a reduced role at Wolves this season, Traore still ranks second in the Premier League for take-ons completed (83), while the 7.03 he has completed per 90 minutes is way ahead of any of his competitors.
So why would Barca, renowned for nurturing young talent through to their first team, let such an exciting prospect go in the first place?
According to former Barca youth coach Jordi Vinyals, while the youngster had the physical attributes to succeed, he was lacking in the tactical side of the game.
He told Goal in 2020: “Even though he wasn’t that muscular at the time, Adama had the best physique of all the players in the second division. He was the fastest and the strongest player.
“His problem was he was not tactically at his current level. Many of his opponents knew exactly how, despite his physical superiority, they could tactically stop him.
“I am happy that the boy has developed so well in England.”
Premier League progression
In the years since, Traore has undoubtedly shown improvements in that regard despite a testing first few years in England.
His £7million move to Aston Villa in August 2015 ended in relegation, before suffering the same fate a year later with Middlesbrough — failing to score in 37 top-flight appearances across the two seasons.
But his improved form in the Championship with the latter earned him a £18m move back to the Premier League with Wolves, where he began to add numbers to his game under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The 2019-20 season was by far his most productive, with six goals and 12 assists in all competitions earning him a reputation as one of the top tier’s most exciting talents.
He has struggled to reach those heights since though and this season has just one goal to his name — netting in a 3-1 win over Southampton just prior to his switch back to Catalonia.
Areas to improve
Criticism of the explosive winger’s quality of delivery and ability to link with team-mates has followed him throughout his career so far.
That is an area that surely must be improved at his new club, as boss Xavi looks to restore Barca to their possession-based game of old.
But while his goalscoring output is still questionable, the statistics show he is improving in other areas — his passing accuracy rating increasing to 77.85% this term from 76.29% the previous campaign.
He has also completed more final third passes per 90 minutes with 9.65 this season, compared to 8.21 in 2020-21.
Point to prove
Traore returns to the Camp Nou not only looking to prove himself to the Barca faithful, but the football world as a whole.
After enduring a chaotic recent past, the Blaugrana are looking to usher in a new era.
Traore features as one of the keynote signings of this renovation, alongside fellow January arrivals Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dani Alves.
So what better way to prove his worth than by helping his boyhood club scale their previous heights once again?
It will be no easy task, with Barca down in fifth place in LaLiga and already out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey — though there have been signs of recovery since Xavi took over.
The club’s dramatic demise will have hurt Traore as much as it has the fans, but he can now play a direct role in building them back again.
The best way for him to do that is by delivering on his potential — if that happens, he could finally etch himself in Barca folklore.
