Last week, Barcelona B attacker Adama Traore reportedly had a medical at Liverpool, but for whatever reason, the deal failed, and the young attacker has now signed for Aston Villa instead.
Liverpool were heavily linked with Traore over the last few weeks:
Jul 2015: Catalan Radio station RAC 1 claimed that Liverpool 'representatives' flew to Barcelona to 'negotiate' a deal for Traore.
Aug 2015: Multiple reports in Spain and the UK reported that Traore was was due to fly to Merseyside for a medical. (It's unclear if this took place).
It's all moot now. According to ESPN today:
"Aston Villa have completed the signing of winger Adama Traore from Barcelona on a five-year contract in a deal worth up to €12 million"
After completing the deal, Villa boss Tim Sherwood channelled his inner-Brendan Rodgers, and claimed that 'magnificent' Traore is 'a bit of Messi and Ronaldo', and explained why the 19-year old will be an asset for the Villains:
“He [Traore] is a big powerful boy, and a very quick, maverick type player. He is very dynamic. He stays wide, picks the ball up runs at defenders and doesn’t give them a minute’s peace".
If this a loss for Liverpool? Fans seem to think so. I recently conducted a poll asking fans if the Reds should sign Traore, and the results are as follows:
Do Liverpool even need Traore? At first glance, the answer appears to be no. Bringing him may have potentially stunted Jordon Ibe's development, and (possibly) demotivated similar players toiling away in Liverpool's academy.
Plus, there's the Luis Alberto factor to consider:
* Alberto was also a regular for Barcelona B.
* In the season prior to his Liverpool move, Albert grabbed 29 goals/assists in 38 games.
* Last season, Traore contributed 17 goals/assists in 37 games for Barcelona B, which is far less prolific.
Alberto crashed and burned at Liverpool, and given their similar history, it's possible that Traore might've suffered a similar fate, especially with the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, and Lallana in the squad.
In my view, Traore has undoubtedly made the right choice. He'll get much more playing time at Villa, and it's clear that the Spaniard will be operating under a manager who has genuine faith in him.
Traore probably took one look at Markovic's miserable experience last season and decided to give Anfield a wide berth.
Ultimately, losing out on Traore is (arguably) no great loss, but sod's law is probably bubbling under the surface waiting to explode, and it won't be a surprise to see the youngster have a more productive debut season that Lazar Markovic, who cost Liverpool much more than €12m.
Plus, he'll probably score against Liverpool. You know it's going to happen...
Author: Jaimie K
Liverpool were heavily linked with Traore over the last few weeks:
Jul 2015: Catalan Radio station RAC 1 claimed that Liverpool 'representatives' flew to Barcelona to 'negotiate' a deal for Traore.
Aug 2015: Multiple reports in Spain and the UK reported that Traore was was due to fly to Merseyside for a medical. (It's unclear if this took place).
It's all moot now. According to ESPN today:
"Aston Villa have completed the signing of winger Adama Traore from Barcelona on a five-year contract in a deal worth up to €12 million"
After completing the deal, Villa boss Tim Sherwood channelled his inner-Brendan Rodgers, and claimed that 'magnificent' Traore is 'a bit of Messi and Ronaldo', and explained why the 19-year old will be an asset for the Villains:
“He [Traore] is a big powerful boy, and a very quick, maverick type player. He is very dynamic. He stays wide, picks the ball up runs at defenders and doesn’t give them a minute’s peace".
If this a loss for Liverpool? Fans seem to think so. I recently conducted a poll asking fans if the Reds should sign Traore, and the results are as follows:
Do Liverpool even need Traore? At first glance, the answer appears to be no. Bringing him may have potentially stunted Jordon Ibe's development, and (possibly) demotivated similar players toiling away in Liverpool's academy.
Plus, there's the Luis Alberto factor to consider:
* Alberto was also a regular for Barcelona B.
* In the season prior to his Liverpool move, Albert grabbed 29 goals/assists in 38 games.
* Last season, Traore contributed 17 goals/assists in 37 games for Barcelona B, which is far less prolific.
Alberto crashed and burned at Liverpool, and given their similar history, it's possible that Traore might've suffered a similar fate, especially with the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, and Lallana in the squad.
In my view, Traore has undoubtedly made the right choice. He'll get much more playing time at Villa, and it's clear that the Spaniard will be operating under a manager who has genuine faith in him.
Traore probably took one look at Markovic's miserable experience last season and decided to give Anfield a wide berth.
Ultimately, losing out on Traore is (arguably) no great loss, but sod's law is probably bubbling under the surface waiting to explode, and it won't be a surprise to see the youngster have a more productive debut season that Lazar Markovic, who cost Liverpool much more than €12m.
Plus, he'll probably score against Liverpool. You know it's going to happen...
Author: Jaimie K
0 Comments:
Post a Comment