Barcelona Are Huge Favourites To Land Adama Traore In January

By Shaun Cronin  | 

Jan 27th, 2022 01:01 PM  |  4 mins

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Adama Traore has torn it up at Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent seasons and many thought that the Spanish winger was criminally underused at Euro 2020. Nuno Espirito Santo transformed the player during his time at Molineux and there was an international tug of war between Spain and Mali for his services.

But, with Espirito Santo having departed Wolves last summer, transfer speculation related to this exciting player has continued at rapid pace on the best betting apps. New Wolves boss Bruno Lage has tried to play Traore in a few different positions this season, and that led to the winger going off the boil a bit.

However, after struggling for regular starts late last year, Traore now appears back to his best and picked up his first league goal of the season against Southampton recently.

In this article, we look at some of the clubs who could be in the running to capture Traore’s signature before the transfer window closes at the end of January, with some high-profile Premier League clubs among his potential suitors.

Barcelona Come Out Of The Woodwork For Adama Traore

All of a sudden it looks like Barcelona have stolen a march on everyone in the race to secure Adama Traore’s signature and are now 1/10 to land him in the January transfer window.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Wolves man looks set to go on loan to the Nou Camp, with the clubs still haggling over whether there’ll be an option to buy the winger in the contract.

A move to Barca would certainly put Traore in the shop window a little more for Spain manager Luis Enrique and with the club languishing outside of the top four in La Liga, the Catalans could use all the help they can get right now.

Traore’s physicality and pace would be a huge asset in what tends to be a more technically and less frenetic game in Spain’s top tier. Playing for Barcelona could also help add a layer of tactical awareness to Traore’s play that he is sorely missing at the moment.

Tottenham Second Favourites To Make January Push For Adama Traore

With Nuno Espirito Santo responsible for Traore’s football development at Wolves, you would think the link with him moving to Spurs would have been broken when his former manager rapidly departed the club in November.

However, it appears that new Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has retained the interest his predecessor had in Traore before his exit, as the Italian looks to rebuild the squad in his own image.

The Spanish winger could fit the bill for the North London club as neither Steven Bergwijn or Lucas Moura have locked down a place in the starting XI with any kind of regularity. His pace and power would add an element to the Spurs attack that they are sorely lacking, the price tag Wolves have placed on the player seems to have stalled a move.

Football betting sites still have Tottenham near the front of the queue to secure Traore’s signature in the next few days though, with odds of 6/1 currently available.

Newcastle Could Open The Chequebook To Sign Traore

Seeking a club flush with cash and willing to buy anyone in the £20m-£30m range, then look no further than Newcastle United.

But, they may be their own worst enemy here as they have only recently dropped a £25m wedge on an aging Chris Wood from Burnley, and also spent earlier on in the window to bring in Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid.

The Magpies are currently at 33/1 to make a move for Traore, and you’d have to admit it would be a frightening prospect for the rest of the Premier League to have to deal with him and Allan Saint-Maximin attacking from opposite wings.

It’s no secret Newcastle are looking to spend big this window in order to avoid relegation to the Championship and bringing in Adama Traore would certainly be a big statement from the club’s new owners.

Chelsea Might Want To Add Adama To Their Considerable Ranks

Thomas Tuchel basically inherited the vast majority of this Chelsea squad and it now might be the case that the German wants to reshape the team, so it could be that Traore is a player that interests him. After all, Timo Werner struggled in a wide position at times last term, while Callum Hudson-Odoi seemed to please and frustrate Tuchel in equal measures.

Despite also having tricky, skillful wingers like Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, the one thing The Blues seem to be missing from their bumper squad is out-and-out pace - which Traore has in bundles.

With Chelsea’s form dipping significantly lately, Tuchel’s demeanour and confidence have been questioned from the outside. So what better way to spark a bit of life back into a club and a squad than making an exciting addition?

UK bookmakers also believe The Blues could certainly be a contender to capture a player who might be attracted by the prospect of playing Champions League football and challenging for domestic honours.

Liverpool’s Absentees Could Lead Them To Traore

Liverpool are at something of an impasse at the moment after a tricky season so far, where they battled their way into a top two spot. Jurgen Klopp’s men trail Manchester City in the Premier League betting odds and the lead Pep Guardiola’s side possess at the top of the table may already be too big for Liverpool to pull back.

The Reds have also got to contend with two of their best players being unavailable this month, as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane represent Egypt and Senegal respectively at the African Cup of Nations. That makes Traore a temping choice to fill one of the gaps left by that star duo, and it’s viable that Traore could link up well with Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson on either flank.

Let’s not forget that the Merseyside club already scored when they raided Wolves for Diogo Jota, and he was less of a star than Traore before arriving at Anfield.

Therefore, it might not come as a shock if Klopp wants to add the raw power that Traore provides when it comes to competing on a domestic and European front.