Leeds United

Leeds United: Mark Smith names Adama Traore as ‘the perfect player’ for team to sign

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Image for Leeds United: Mark Smith names Adama Traore as ‘the perfect player’ for team to sign

Leeds United journalist Mark Smith thinks that signing Adama Traore would be a brilliant move for the club to make this summer.

Leeds have found themselves linked with Traore for a couple of months now, with an article from Eurosport in February claiming that he has been ‘on their radar all season’ and that they are ‘likely to make an offer’ this summer.

However, a report from Football Insider claimed in March that Leeds would not be tempted by a reported £30m asking price for the Spaniard’s services.

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Can you remember where Leeds finished in these league seasons? First up: 2018/19

But things have changed at Wolves since then, most notably the appointment of Bruno Lage in the dugout at Molineux, so there’s every chance that priorities and asking prices might have been tweaked since then.

And speaking in a video on the Football Insider Facebook page, Smith felt that based on his ability, if the club can get negotiate that asking price down, then he would make a perfect addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s side:

“If Leeds can get a deal for him around £20m to £30m, I don’t think anyone would turn their nose up at that. I think Bielsa would: one, make him lose a lot of weight – I know he’s probably 120% muscle is Traore, but he’ll probably want him to get a bit leaner. He’s not going to lose that strength; he’s an absolute brick, isn’t he? I don’t think anyone can argue about that.

“But could you imagine him on those counter-attacks that Leeds like to spring on their opposition? I think he could be the perfect player. Whether he can bring that finishing product that he’s been missing, I think Bielsa, he wants that clinical streak – there’s a big question mark about that.”

TIF Thoughts on Mark Smith’s comments about Adama Traore…

Should Leeds sign Adama Traore this summer?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Smith is right on both fronts here in his assessment on Traore. His pace would certainly be an asset to a team that has more or less built their identity on the speed at which they play, but at the same time, he does need to work on his finishing, as his record from last season showed, with just three goals and three assists during the whole campaign.

And if Leeds are to progress on the great work that they did last season and possibly push towards Europe, you’d imagine that his output would need to be better across the season in order to move the team up the table.

In other news: Ben White transfer development has got a lot of Leeds United fans talking

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Freelance sports journalist & broadcaster.