Why Liverpool should avoid signing Traore for £25m this summer

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 3 min read

Liverpool are desperately keen on making the most of their interest in Wolves winger Adama Traore, according to reports in Spain.

Newspaper El Nacional believe that the Anfield side are hoping to snatch up the Spanish winger in January to bolster their attacking options.

Traore has been a long-term target for Liverpool and with his contract at Wolves set to expire in 2023, the forward could be signed for a cut-down price.

However, while that may seem like a small sum of money for a player that is currently valued at €31m, Traore may not be the ideal signing that some Liverpool fans may wish him to be.

And in many ways, the Anfield side may be better keeping their money in their pocket and prioritising other targets. Allow us to explain why.

Traore’s record in the Premier League isn’t great

While there’s no doubt that Traore’s ball control and speed make for excellent viewing in highlight clips or even for regular viewers of Wolves, few could deny that the Spaniard's end product is far from perfect.

Indeed, over the course of 41 appearances and 2,850 minutes of football for Wolves last season, Traore managed just three goals and two assists for his club, according to Football Critic. Sure, those numbers were certainly higher last season, when Traore bagged six goals and 12 assists for Wolves, but that was also over the course of 54 appearances.

Similarly, the winger has yet to register a single goal or assists in nine games for Wolves this season.

That’s not to say that Traore isn’t a good Premier League player. But his output as a winger doesn’t exactly suggest he’d be able to offer anything special for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Liverpool may not need attacking reinforcements

While it may have seemed a certainty back in the summer that Liverpool would need more attacking talent added to their squad, that isn't entirely the case now.

Mohamed Salah has hit the ground running this season and is in better form that he's ever been at Anfield. Similarly, Sadio Mane is playing with a seemingly renewed sense of purpose in Klopp's side.

Both players will need to sign contract extensions before Klopp and Liverpool can sleepy easy at night, but for now the team are doing just fine in front of goals and would likely have little use for Traore.