da bet vitoria： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da cassino： Speaking to BBC Sport, Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has hailed Adama Traore for his performance against Bournemouth.
What did he say?
The former Barcelona man has been an integral part of the Molineux side this season, racking up an impressive 20 appearances across all competitions, and scoring two goals and providing a further five assists.
And against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, the Spaniard was at his rampaging best, completing his two attempted dribbles, making two key passes and creating two big chances – all in all, it earned him an 8.0 match rating as per Sofascore, with only his teammate Joao Moutinho bettering it amongst Wolves players.
Speaking after the game, Nuno hailed the winger for his contributions, both offensively and defensively, but insisted he still has a lot of things to improve.
He said: “He’s a very important player. The idea is to create versatile players that can adjust, we have a very small squad so we need all the momentum that the players must have. Now Adama is doing well, but he has a lot of things to improve. He is exceptional. The way he helps the team, not only the offensive work that he does, the defensive side in keeping the shape and pressing and stealing balls is amazing.”
Vital
Make no mistake about it, where once before Traore may have been seen as a pace merchant, he is beginning to add a real end product to his game. It was no surprise therefore to see him pick up an assist in his side’s 2-1 victory over the Cherries on Saturday, whilst he also produced two successful crosses.
But as Nuno alludes to, the £13.5m-rated ace’s willingness to do the dirty work sets him apart, and ensures he is quickly becoming a trusted lieutenant for his Portuguese manager. If he continues to perform like he has been doing all season, then there is no reason why Wolves cannot replicate their mighty fine achievement of finishing in seventh place in the Premier League last year.