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This £8m Middlesbrough Winger Could Be That Missing Piece In West Ham’s Jigsaw: Sign Him Up Bilic

Adama Traore

Why Adama Traore Is That Man Who West Ham Are Missing In Their Team

West Ham United are close to capturing the signature of exciting winger Adama Traore from recently relegated side Middlesbrough according to The Northern Echo. The report claims that the player’s representatives have held negotiations with the Hammers and a £8million move is on the verge of completion.

The 21-year old winger joined the Teesside outfit from Championship side Aston Villa in the summer of 2016 but failed to make a serious impact as Boro were condemned to relegation on their return to the Premier League. However, he did show several glimpses of what he can do when at his best.

After having finished the 2015-16 season in a very impressive 7th place in the Premier League, much was expected of the East Londoners, but the Hammers endured a poor campaign last time around. Slaven Bilic’s men struggled to get going in the first half of the season and for a quite a while, it looked like they would be involved in the relegation scramble.

However, a recovery in the second period of the season helped them to a 11th placed finish in the table. But the manager is under serious pressure to take the team back into the top half of the table. Having already added right-back Pablo Zabaleta to their ranks on a free transfer, Bilic is keen on adding more pace in the attacking areas, to provide support to the likes of Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini.

West Ham brought in Robert Snodgrass from Hull City in the January transfer window, after the Scotsman’s impressive form for the Tigers in the first half of the last season. But he turned out to be a big dud and is largely expected to depart the London Olympic Stadium in the summer. The likes of Sofiane Feghouli and Andre Ayew too haven’t been able to contribute meaningfully, which has left Bilic looking to add more options to his attacking line-up. The former Croatia boss seems to have narrowed down on Traore to ease his team’s woes.

Adama Traore

The 21-year old former Barcelona academy graduate did not have a good season for Boro by any standards last time around, as he finished without scoring a single goal and just a solitary assist to show for from 27 league appearances. But, he did manage to show glimpses of his tremendous abilities that has seen him be rated as one of the most exciting young players to have come through Barca’s famed La Masia academy.

The raw pace that he possesses, combined with his ability to beat his man with his nimble footwork on the ball is something that has earned rave reviews from all quarters. However, a lack of consistency in his performances, combined with a lack of maturity and poor decision making has not allowed him to develop into the player that he can actually become.

If Bilic manages to help the youngster in improving those key aspects in his game, there is no doubt that Traore can prosper into one of the most devastating wingers in the Premier League. This is a lad with potential in abundance and if West Ham can manage to tap into that potential and bring out his innate abilities to the fore, he could turn out to be that missing piece of puzzle – the X-factor that would help the London outfit to break into the top half of the table next season.