Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has claimed he would like to see new Wolves manager Bruno Lage try Adama Traore as a No 9.
Traore has been at Wolves since he made the switch from Middlesbrough in 2018 and has been recently linked with a move away from Molineux, as recent reports suggest Chelsea and Leeds are interested in the Spain international.
However, Windass has called for Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement to make a huge call in his first season in Premier League football, in order to get the best out of Traore.
In an interview with Transfer Tavern, the former top-flight striker has revealed that he would love to see Lage move Traore away from his favoured wide position and play him more centrally:
“He played sort of right wing-back with Nuno. Stick him down the middle, stick him down the middle as a No.9.
“He’ll be a massive player for Wolves next year. They’ll need him, they’ll need his pace.”
TIF Thoughts on Adama Traore playing as a No 9…
Windass’ claims are very bold. However, judging by Traore’s goalscoring record whilst he’s been at Wolves, and the goal drought he endured last season, playing Traore away from his favoured position on the right wing would potentially be a positional switch that would not work out for Wolves.
Especially considering Wolves are expected to have Raul Jimenez back for the start of the season, there could be no point in moving Traore infield, given how good of a relationship the two had on the pitch in previous seasons together.
On the other hand, it may make Wolves an unknown quantity by making such a drastic change – though whether Lage decides to take such a plunge so early on in his Molineux career remains to be seen.