Blues’ tactics exposed by Traore case
BERTRAND TRAORE’S phone would occasionally beep and the name on the screen would be that of Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard. That was before Traore, then on loan at Ajax, took on Manchester United in the Europa League final of 2017. Traore had sent his own congratulatory text to Hazard when Chelsea lifted the Premier League under Antonio Conte.
Once upon a time, Chelsea hoped both Hazard and Traore would represent the club’s future and the story of Traore’s rise would be inspiring.
A 2011 United Nations report marked Burkina Faso as the seventh poorest country in the world but the nation’s exceptional teenage footballer had made it to the riches of the Premier League. Now aged 23 and at Lyon, he faced Barcelona in the Champions League this week.
The forward first attracted the attention of Chelsea’s scouts as a 14-year-old at the 2009 Under 17 World Cup. At the time, he was training at French club Auxerre. Europe’s elite took an interest but FIFA rules prevented the international transfer of a minor under the age of 18.
As such, Chelsea were in a quandary. Having identified one of the planet’s most enthralling young players, legislation impeded their attempts to pin him down. He could not sign a contract. But Chelsea seemed determined to find a way to capture the talent ahead of their rivals.
Traore first appeared to land at Chelsea in August 2010, when Burkina Faso’s sports minister prematurely announced the player would sign for the club. Traore himself has spoken of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou welcoming him like a ‘little brother’ in September 2011. A month later he played in an Under 18 game.
It has been alleged by Football Leaks that Chelsea paid his mother in excess of £150,000 in April 2011, thus securing a first option to sign him. An additional £13,000 was paid to AJE BoboDioulasso, a club chaired by Traore’s mother. It is also alleged that Traore lived in Wimbledon for two years, attending the fee-paying specialist sports school Whitgift, where former Chelsea player Colin Pates was head of football.
Traore is understood to have enjoyed two extended trial periods at Chelsea, reportedly via student visas, before his 18th birthday. As a 17year-old, he joined Jose Mourinho’s squad on a pre-season tour in 2013 and started matches in Bangkok and Jakarta.
Yet his signing was only registered in January 2014, after he had turned 18. The allegation, which Chelsea deny, is that the club may have made an agreement or secured inducements to the player and his family before his 18th birthday.
FIFA have not confirmed that Traore is one of the 29 players whose signings have culminated in Chelsea receiving a transfer ban for two windows. Yet it seems likely. Even now, the cord between Traore and Chelsea endures. Upon signing for Lyon in 2017, Chelsea reportedly inserted a buy-back option. For better or worse, this relationship and its ramifications seem set to endure for a good while yet.