The Summer 2018 Transfer Thread

[slink]

I'm definitely in favour of Traore. His end product isn't always the best but it's been improving under Pulis and i think he's still got a lot of improvement in him. I've seen a lot of comments about coaching such as Nuno will improve him or the counter argument of he was at Barca and he still hasn't and for me i'm in the i think he'll improve here camp. Barca tried to make him into a player to suit them because of his physical attributes but he's taken a lot longer to mature than they thought he would. I think he'll love to play in our team especially when we're counter attacking and there aren't many better players if any that we could get that can carry the ball like he can, he's absolutely rapid and beats players for fun but he's sometimes struggled with his final ball, this can be worked on and he will also have better players playing with him which will definitely help.

As for Hutton shutting him down, i think it was more Boro's tactics of sitting back and giving it to Traore and hoping against a Villa side that sat back and left no room for him to work. He also did cause us problems at the Riverside when he got the ball, Boro were route one for a lot of the first half but when he got it he beat Boly and Douglas more than once. In the second half he was a bigger threat and we started to just kick him which lead to Doherty and Neves getting sent off in the end as it all started with fouls on him. Don't agree that he's brain dead either, for me i think a lot of fans have got a few on Traore when he signed for Villa and not the one that ended the season for Boro and the one that has still got a lot of room for improvement imo.

 

[LG Wolf]

Here's his performance vs us:

 

[b3h]

I'm put off by some comments on him not looking like he has the best football brain and is mostly pace etc but at least he's young, not a huge pressure on him (shouldn't be too much?) and will be around way better players.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Matt Jarvis got a fucking England cap having zero end product, zero skill and moderate pace. Traore is head and shoulders above him in all of those departments and younger.

 

[AndyWolves]

You've not lived for the last 40 odd years in an area where Villa fans have lorded it over you. Chucking £3.6m at them for nowt in their FFP hour of need will give them extra ammunition on top of the stick I'm still getting for all of the crocks and duds they used to sell us.

Just tell em that every time they sign a player through Mendes / Gestifute our owners get a cut

 

[MARKakaJIM]

It doesn’t but it also means it’s a bit harsh to say what can we do with him when Barca has their hands on him, I’d say most players aren’t at their peak at 19/20 when he left there.

They may not be at their peak but plenty of players show enough promise to attract big club attention as kids only to find themselves fall from that level or drift out of that game all together. It just seems a lazy assumption to assume anyone under 25 or so is definitely going to improve as they get older, it just doesn't work like that.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Matt Jarvis got a fucking England cap having zero end product, zero skill and moderate pace. Traore is head and shoulders above him in all of those departments and younger.

The disclaimer would be that this was a time when Jay Bothroyd was also getting an England cap, and Jarvo was at least doing his one dimensional stuff in the PL. Adama had a few good games in the Championship. Didn't he get 0 goals and 0 assists for Boro in the PL?

Maybe I am harsh on him, he's not my kind of player though. He looks a rung below 2014/15 Sako and I wouldn't want to re-sign him at his peak either.

 

[slink]

Here's his performance vs us:

If you can't watch that video and see what he's got going for him and why he's worth the risk and what a player we will have if Nuno gets more out of him then i don't quite know what to say. Everything good Boro did came through him and his ability to beat 3 or 4 players in tight spaces is second to none.

 

[AndyWolves]

In Nuno we trust and all that.

I've not seen much of Traore apart from our game and the play offs so probably not fair to judge him on those alone.

His highlight reel shows he has devastating pace and an awareness, at least if what's near him.

If Nuno & his team can improve him (a la Cav) we'll have an absolute beast on our hands

 

[Tony Towner]

Matt Jarvis got a $#@!ing England cap having zero end product, zero skill and moderate pace. Traore is head and shoulders above him in all of those departments and younger.

That is really unfair, his end product in the PL was decent, particularly in his final season when our one strategy was to hope he did something. He had more than moderate pace although I accept not as quick as Traore and although his one skill existed of slowing the ball down and then knocking it past his man, it worked time and again.

As for Traore's end product, I remember MOTD doing a package of him after one Boro game the season before last, basically showing he's got pace to burn, but then clueless when he beats a man.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If you can't watch that video and see what he's got going for him and why he's worth the risk and what a player we will have if Nuno gets more out of him then i don't quite know what to say. Everything good Boro did came through him and his ability to beat 3 or 4 players in tight spaces is second to none.

That's a huge if for eighteen million pounds.

Everything good Boro did went through him because their entire game plan for months was to give the ball to him and see what he could do.

Who of our current wide forwards is he better than? Cav might not even start next Saturday and he is a miles better (and more effective) footballer than Traore.

 

[slink]

That's a huge if for eighteen million pounds.

Everything good Boro did went through him because their entire game plan for months was to give the ball to him and see what he could do.

Who of our current wide forwards is he better than? Cav might not even start next Saturday and he is a miles better (and more effective) footballer than Traore.

Not really, we haven't spent a massive amount this summer and while £18 million is our record fee, if it comes off he will more than pay back that fee.

Their plan was to give it to him and see what he could do for months and he managed to get them into the play offs. Yes they failed there but without him where would they have finished, seems people are ignoring the fact that he was the player that got Boro there and using the fact that their tactic was to give it to him as a negative when surely it's a massive positive.

We were much better than Boro last season and it was all on Traore to come up with something for them as said but it wasn't all on Cav. Traore is better than all 3 at beating players that's a fact but the problem has been his end product which has started to improve and by quite a lot in the second half of last season. I think Traore technically is very underrated, he beats players because of his ability to control the ball at pace and it's only his decision making in the final third that has let him down, this often let's Cav down too. He might not ever get to where he could but if he does get anywhere near his potential then £18 million will be a steal.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Again, these are ifs. If I had to put money on it I'd say people would still be talking about his potential in 2022.

So would you drop Jota for him, or Costa?

 

[PuntsWolf]

That is really unfair, his end product in the PL was decent, particularly in his final season when our one strategy was to hope he did something. He had more than moderate pace although I accept not as quick as Traore and although his one skill existed of slowing the ball down and then knocking it past his man, it worked time and again.

As for Traore's end product, I remember MOTD doing a package of him after one Boro game the season before last, basically showing he's got pace to burn, but then clueless when he beats a man.

It’s really not that unfair, he was a very limited player and MM got the most out of him. His end product was limited (as in stand it up to the back post), fortunately Fletcher was god like at the back post and it worked. Hopefully Jiminez can be that guy this year.

He wasn’t that quick top speed, just good acceleration.

I loved the bloke but I’m not going to pretend he was a world beater. Traore is a knock it down the line stand it up merchant just like Jarvis was. However he’s better at each element of that skill. I’m just saying Jarvis caused havoc with less ability so Traore should be able to do the same.

 

[slink]

There are ifs if you sign any player though. He is only 22 and he has got potential that he has started to look like using, it's not like he's not getting better is it? Don't think he's going to come straight into the team is he and when we are bound to have injuries etc then he could come in and play in either of those positions. As someone mentioned he could also take Jota's position if Diogo plays down the middle. I think it gives us 4 excellent players to choose from in those 2 wider positions and all 4 players have different characteristics that could prove vital this season.

 

[Premier Quality]

Again, these are ifs. If I had to put money on it I'd say people would still be talking about his potential in 2022.

So would you drop Jota for him, or Costa?

Costa. Traore was much better last season, as shown in the goals and assists stats.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think you'll be on your own there mate.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Costa. Traore was much better last season, as shown in the goals and assists stats.

Costa at the start of the season or Costa at the end?

There was a world of difference

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Forget the season, let's just use this game where Traore was apparently magical against us and we couldn't deal with him (even though we did).

Costa scored and would have had two if Friend hadn't hacked him down.

 

[Tony Towner]

Jota > Costa > Cav > Traore. I can't get my head around making a club record signing who at best will be your second substitution before injuries.