Wolves reporter Liam Keen has given an update on the contract situation surrounding Adama Traore.
It has been something of a rocky year for the Spaniard so far this season, not only has he failed to bag a goal or an assist on the pitch, he also had a few weeks when he was removed from the starting eleven and placed on the substitutes bench.
On top of that, off the pitch he and the club have been locked in contract negotiations for some time now, with reports suggesting that discussions have been taking place as far back as September. To put his future further in doubt, noted journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that Tottenham Hotspur were after him this summer, whilst Football Insider note that the club have apparently cut their asking price for him should a club want to buy him this January.
Speaking on the latest edition of the E&S Wolves podcast, Keen provided an update on the contract situation and why the negotiations are being dragged out the way that they are:
(1:04:48) “As far as I understand it, the contract’s got nothing to do with him not playing, or not playing previously.
(1:05:51) “The long story short is there’s no update, and I have checked again. But just to give a bit of a background I suppose on the situation and I suppose the misconceptions that fans have with contracts and how it happens. So they were very close to getting it done a few months back, it was very close, it was almost there.
“There was obviously some factor in it that either the player or club weren’t happy with and it didn’t quite happen. And essentially, it’s sort of taken a bit of a break, I suppose is the right way to phrase it.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Keen’s comments about Adama Traore at Wolves
Do you think Wolves will sell Adama Traore in Janaury?
Yes
No
If Wolves and Traore were indeed close to an agreement as Keen hints at, then it does show that there is still a chance that they can sort something out sooner rather than later and secure his long-term future at the club, with his current deal set to expire in 2023.
However, with the January window coming up, and Keen saying later in the podcast (1:08:15) that Wolves ‘would consider’ an offer if a ‘massive’ bid came in for him, then it does raise the question to how committed Wolves really are to keeping him, and does sew that little bit of doubt into the mind as to whether they want him to stick around.
When you factor in his performances so far this season, you could argue that he serves no further purpose for Wolves, and if a reasonable offer does come in, they might be better off taking it rather than dragging negotiations out, and using that money on someone who could be more useful to them moving forward.
In other news: ‘He can’t buy a goal’ – Journalist criticises Wolves ace who was ‘off it’