OFFICER DRIBBLE
Traore: I’d rather score goals than be No.1 for running with the ball
WOLVES WEST HAM
BY JAMES NURSEY
ADAMA TRAORE loves being Europe’s top dribbler but admits it is goals he craves.
A study by CIES football observatory revealed that Wolves star Traore is the most prolific player in Europe when running with the ball.
He has recorded 11.2 successful dribbles for every 100 minutes of play, ahead of Portugal forward Rafael Leao of AC Milan, who registered 7.2 successful dribbles.
Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin was third with 7.02 successful runs per 100 minutes and Kylian Mbappe just squeezed into the top 10.
But all Traore’s pace and ability hasn’t helped him break his duck this term for Wanderers, who host West Ham today. Traore, who scored just three goals last term, said: “If I’m the No.1 dribbler in Europe, I’m proud of that.
“I have to be the best that I can be and, if I take the chances I have, I can be the player I want to be in the future.
“This is my mentality, fulfilling that. If you see last season, I was not having the chances that I’ve had this season.
“I’m having more chances close to the goalie and I hope, soon, the ball is going to be hitting the net. You’ve not seen the best of me yet. Absolutely not.
“In the early part of the season, I had many chances in front of goal, and my main target is working on that.
“I’m having the chances in front of the goal, one-v-one, against the keepers. I know I have to keep working on it.”
Traore, signed from Middlesbrough in 2018 for £18million, has been clocked running at 37kph.
He added: “The intensity I have to go, this is the important thing for me, rather than maximum speed. I know one of my powerful things is my speed but all I think about is the speed of the play.
“If I have to be at 35, I go 35, if I have to go 34, I go 34.”
Traore, who has eight Spain caps, remained at Wolves during the last international break.
Boss Bruno Lage said: “The way I see Adama in training in the last two weeks is very focused on his work with the team.
“We are working on him to become more involved in the game. I want Adama more consistent. He is the kind of player that can do something special.”
Traore is under contract at Molineux until 2023 and Wolves are offering a lucrative new deal.
“He has a chance to renew his contract,” confirmed manager Lage.