Why Bertrand Traore could be a good signing for Crystal Palace
According to Sky Sports (h/t Liverpool Echo), Crystal Palace are among a cluster of Premier League clubs interested in securing the services of Lyon winger Bertrand Traore.
Everton, Newcastle and Leicester City are all understood to have shown an interest in the 24-year-old, who has a contract with the Ligue 1 outfit until the summer of 2022. (Sky Sports h/t Liverpool Echo)
As per the report, Lyon are open to selling the Burkinabe international when their Champions League campaign comes to an end later in August.
Profile
Bertrand Traore started his footballing education at Auxerre in France before joining Chelsea’s youth system back in 2013. He spent the next couple of seasons on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch Eredivisie before making his first-team debut for the Blues during the 2015-16 campaign.
The 24-year-old scored 4 goals in 16 appearances for Chelsea before departing on loan once again to join Ajax in 2016. The Burkina Faso star was instrumental as the Dutch giants went all the way through to the final of the 2016-17 Europa League, with Traore scoring 13 times in 38 appearances across all competitions.
Palace’s attacking woes
Crystal Palace have perhaps been the epitome of mediocrity in the Premier League over the past few years. The Eagles once again dragged themselves through to a 14th-place finish last season.
Roy Hodgson’s side scored only 31 goals in 38 league games last term, conceding as many as 50 in the process. Those numbers clearly don’t paint a bright picture and are a testament to the club’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
Jordan Ayew was the top scorer for the Eagles in the PL with 9 goals and 2 assists. However, with star man Wilfried Zaha and fellow winger Andros Townsend sharing only 5 goals between them, the Ghanaian lacked quality support from his teammates.
The likes of Christian Benteke and Max Meyer also underwhelmed through large quarters of the previous campaign, thus making it increasingly difficult for Hodgson to try and improve his team’s attacking firepower.
Why Traore could be the answer
Traore didn’t get enough chances during his days at Chelsea to prove his worth in the Premier League, so it would be unfair to brand him as a failure in the English top-flight. The 24-year-old has since evolved into a quality winger in Europe, boasting of a proven track record of goals and assists at Ajax and Lyon.
Traore has amassed an impressive tally of 33 goals and 17 assists in 126 appearances for Lyon across all competitions, numbers that suggest he could be the man to add more goals to a failing forward line at Selhurst Park.
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Essentially a left-footed attacker, Traore primarily plays as a right-winger but he is versatile enough to operate on the other flank and also through the middle as a centre-forward.
Verdict
Suffice to say, Crystal Palace need to bolster their attack with some quality attackers if they are to aim for bigger things than just avoiding relegation season after season in the Premier League.
Bertrand Traore ticks a lot of boxes at Selhurst Park, considering his age profile, track record, and versatility. Having said that, Hodgson completing a raid on Lyon for the former Chelsea star would definitely be a step in the right direction.
