Wolves are reportedly considering a late move for Metz midfielder Boubacar Traore ahead of the transfer window deadline and he could be a big upgrade on Leander Dendoncker in Bruno Lage’s side.
That’s according to Express and Star journalist Liam Keen who revealed the following late last week:
“Wolves now look ready to make a move on this long-standing interest in Metz midfielder Boubacar Traore. They like him a lot but had not previously moved for him – now, they are working on a deal and hoping to complete it before the transfer window deadline.”
Last season saw Traore make 27 Ligue 1 appearances for Metz in what was a breakthrough campaign for the youngster, but his performances could not save Les Grenats from relegation to the second tier.
He is primarily a defensive-minded midfielder but also excels at carrying the ball forward, emphasised by him impressively scoring in the 86th percentile for midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues according to FB Ref.
He could also add a lot of energy to Lage’s midfield, which is arguably lacking when Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho are deployed together, as Traore scores in the top percentile for pressures per 90.
Indeed, that’s better than the Old Gold pair with Neves ranking in the worst 57% and Moutinho ranking in the worst 52% of players for that metric.
Who would you rather have in midfield?
In this sense, he could also be a big upgrade on Dendoncker at Molineux, as the Belgium international has struggled for form in recent campaigns.
Last season saw the 27-year-old average an extremely disappointing 6.44 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League, averaging just 0.2 dribbles per game in the top flight. Furthermore, he only ranked in the best 41% of players for pressures per 90. Not quite as bad as his midfield colleagues, but still behind the Wolves target.
Traore is clearly an energetic player, and has been described as a “pressing and dribbling machine” by analyst Liam Henshaw on Twitter, so he could definitely add something different to the Belgian in Lage’s midfield.
Traore would also average more tackles and interceptions per game (1.6 and 0.9) than Dendoncker last season (both 0.5), which suggests that he could also offer more from a defensive perspective.
With the former Anderlecht man linked with a move away from Molineux, now looks to be the ideal time for Lage to bring in a big upgrade, and Traore could be an excellent option.
