Wolverhampton Wanderers are now ready to make a move for Metz midfielder Boubacar Traore, according to reliable journalist Liam Keen.
The Lowdown: Traore profiled
After leaving his home town AS Bamako in 2019, the Malian arrived at FC Metz, who were then playing in the top-flight of French football.
He barely played until the 2021/22 season, in which he burst onto the scene - the 21-year-old made 27 appearances in Ligue 1, for which he averaged a solid 6.73 SofaScore match rating.
Having been relegated to Ligue 2, the Mali U23 international has played the full 90 minutes in three of Metz’s first four league games this season.
The Latest: Keen’s news
On August 10, Keen reported Wolves have a 'long-standing' interest in Traore, but the club were yet to make an approach for the player this summer.
However, the reliable journalist has now shared an update on the Wanderers’ stance.
Taking to Twitter, the Express and Star man claimed:
“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.”
The Verdict: Great potential
Based on his underlying statistics, Traore’s attributes seems to show the perfect mix in the middle of the park, with the ability to drive forward or to stay back and win the ball.
As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 21-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for pressures, in the 88th percentile for dribbles completed and in the 82nd percentile for tackles.
Hailed a ‘pressing and dribbling machine’ by football analyst Liam Henshaw, the arrival of Traore at the Molineux would add quality in depth to Bruno Lage’s options in midfield, with the player deemed a bright prospect for the future.