Traore latest link to Everton
As Everton continue to be associated with moves for a bewildering number of players, the latest story has the Blues linked with Lyon forward Bertrand Traore.
Frankly at this point I don’t think there are any players left in Europe who Everton haven’t been linked with, aren’t apparently interested in or even supposedly pursuing!
Today’s candidate is the Lyon winger Traore. According to the story in the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees are now looking at the Burkina Faso forward to help solve their anemic, mis-firing attack.
Traore hasn’t secured a regular starting place in the Lyon team, he’s been in and out and has only played 14 times this season in Ligue 1.
Given all that, the French club are considering letting him go if they get the right sort of offer from another club. Is he the type of player that Everton should consider?
On paper, he seems to be a pretty effective attacking player with all the skills and strengths that the Blues desperately need to support a strike force starved of enough good chances last season.
He has pace and strength, puts in good balls from out wide and can also chip in with goals as well. And Traore is a player who can also operate through the middle too or behind the strikers.
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Traore managed three assists and one goal in his 14 games last season, which is not a lot. Although to be fair nine of those were apparently substitute appearances so he didn’t get that much time on the pitch during the last campaign.
Anyway not the most dazzling of statistics. I don’t know whether he’s a better option than say Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace, but at 24, Traore is perhaps though a better bet financially in terms of the longer-term transfer market value.
Well there you go another youngish wide attacking player who is being touted as a possible alternative to the mediocre options currently available in the squad. Again he looks a decent option but will the Blues brass and Carlo Ancelotti go for Traore?
In the end, to be honest, I’d just be happy to see Everton sign anyone half decent who can offer more creativity and attacking flair than the current crop. Just get on with it!