Bertrand Traore was sold by Aston Villa in January, Unai Emery will not regret it
Aston Villa are certainly doing well in all competitions this season, with a real collective effort developing under the guidance of Unai Emery.
A key part of this team is an exciting attack, with players such as Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby shining in particular.
But one attacker who has failed to impress under Emery is Bertrand Traore, although the winger hasn’t exactly had many opportunities to do so.
The 28-year-old, who joined Villa from Lyon for £17m plus £2m in bonuses in 2020 [Sky Sports, September 19, 2020], has played just a miserable 41 minutes this season.
Current coach Emery is clearly not a fan of a striker brought to Villa Park by former coach Dean Smith.
The Spaniard will therefore have no difficulty parting ways with the player, which he will have to do in January to avoid losing him for free.
Traore’s contract with the Midlands club expires next summer, so it makes sense to send him away in the next transfer window.
The winger’s longest spell on the pitch this season came in the 3-1 win over Burnley in August, when late substitute Traore had just nine minutes on the pitch.
only completed one, failing to complete his only long pass attempt [Sofascore].
Additionally, he recorded no kicks or tackles and lost possession twice during his brief appearance.
By comparison, starting winger Diaby scored and had an assist, and completed 88% of his passes, two of which were key [Sofascore].
More bad news for Traore, fellow striker Emiliano Buendia will return to the team after fully recovering from a knee ligament injury.
This will certainly push the previous rankings even lower, with Leon Bailey also certainly ahead of Traore in Emery’s plans.
