Thread by @smarterscout

🚨 TRANSFER ALERT 🚨

Bertrand Traoré is reportedly close to moving from Lyon to Aston Villa for €19m. At RW last season he was average in attack by a Premier League standard, with excellent ball retention, outstanding as a defender, very good in the air as well. Read on...

1/5

Traoré's role changed a lot between 2018-19 and 2019-20. Have a look at his smartermaps for those two seasons at RW. He shifted from short passes further back on the pitch to longer passes, more dribbles in and near the area, and more shots in the box, raising his output:

2/5

Despite this, Traoré's involvement in Lyon's goals was low. That was mostly because of his own finishing, which took a turn for the worse in 2019-20. He was more involved in 2018-19 despite the more withdrawn role.

3/5

If we look for players with a similar style to Traoré's in Europe's top five leagues, there are some really good names – versatile playmakers who work hard off the ball. Here's a side-by-side comparison with two of them:

4/5

We suggested that Leicester sign Traoré in the summer 2019 window. At the time, they were another club with young talent trying to generate a strong passing style. Either way, it's good to see the former Chelsea man back in the Premier League.



5/5

P.S. We think the key to this transfer is creating a counterweight to Grealish. Traoré has a different style, can be more of a crosser, and has learned to draw defenders. Also, Grealish's attacks from the left can result in loose balls on the right, and Traoré can hoover them up.