There seems to be a sense of deja vu at Tottenham this summer transfer window, with Adama Traore once again being linked with a move to north London. In January, the Spaniard looked as though he would be the player to come in and upgrade the options Antonio Conte already had on the right flank.
However, Traore opted for a loan move to Barcelona instead, which is where he spent the second half of the 2021/22 campaign. The 26-year-old made just 11 La Liga appearances, registered two assists and only featured in one game for 90 minutes.
Traore has now returned to Wolves and has featured in two of their first three games, although hasn't played more than 20 minutes in either match. Therefore the winger may be questioning his future at the club and where his best next destination might be.
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The Spaniard has already received praise for his ability over the last few years, including positive comments from both Jurgen Klopp and Graeme Souness. "The speed of Traore is actually undefendable in moments," the Liverpool boss said last year.
"Traore has improved and let’s hope he keeps improving because he gets you on the edge of your seat when in full flight. He is a motorcycle! It’s almost impossible [to stop him]. Nobody can handle this pace," Souness admitted in 2020.
The Spaniard was heavily linked with a move to Spurs, as he could provide strength and pace down the wing. However, many doubted his end product, which is a key feature of Conte's wing-backs.
Traore has played more as a winger than a wing-back, but this isn't likely to phase the Italian too much, as he has had plenty of experience of transforming players to adapt to his system, including Ivan Perisic while he was his coach at Inter Milan. The 26-year-old is someone Fabio Paratici likes and he was spotted watching Traore and the Wolves substitutes during the warm-up, in Spurs' latest match against them.
One reason the Wolves man may want to leave his current side is because of his lack of game time. However, if Traore made the move to Tottenham, he would likely be competing with Emerson Royal, Matt Doherty and Djed Spence as wing-backs or Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura in a more advanced position.
Therefore, Spurs may not be able to offer this regular game time he could be seeking. As for concerns over lack of end product, matters could be starting to improve.
Traore has already shown glimpses of his improved crossing and he scored a superb goal for Wolves on Tuesday night in their 2-1 victory over Preston in the Carabao Cup. The winger had the ball outside the box, passed it to Nelson Semedo, who flicked the ball up, returned the ball to Traore, who had run into the box and then volleyed it into the back of the net.
Of course, one goal doesn't mean he will now rack up 20 goals a season in the Premier League. However, this does highlight that Traore has the quality to be a good finisher and if there is one man who is likely to help him improve him, it's Conte.
Spurs have brought in Spence this summer, so the Italian now has three right wing-back options but questions remain over whether all three will remain in N17, with a week left of the transfer window.
After Tottenham's 1-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday, the 53-year-old seemed to outline his transfer plan, when asked about the prospect of Bryan Gil leaving this summer. "This squad is this and if someone goes away then another has to come," he admitted.
Therefore, if either Royal or Doherty were to make an exit in the next couple of weeks, the door could open once again for Traore. He has a current market value of up to £16.8million, according to CIES, so wouldn't come at a huge cost to Tottenham, assuming they could strike a deal with Wolves at that figure.
There are still assessments to be made and questions to be answered, but the Spaniard's goal on Tuesday could help his case for making a move to the capital, if that is what all parties want.
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