Why Fulham should sign Bertrand Traore to bolster their attack

Newly promoted Fulham are interested in bringing Lyon winger Bertrand Traore back to the Premier League, according to Sky Sports. The player was on the books of Chelsea from 2014 to 2017 but played for them only during the 2015-16 season.

Profile

Traore started his youth career with Auxerre back in 2009 and officially moved to Chelsea in 2013. He was promoted to the senior squad and sent out on loan to Vitesse in 2014. A year later, he returned to the club and was handed first-team opportunities at Chelsea.

He scored 4 goals in 16 appearances but was loaned out again the following season to Ajax, where he was a part of the team that went all the way to the Europa League final. After his return, he was sold on a permanent basis to Lyon and since then, he has performed admirably for them. A right-winger by trade, Traore can play in a multitude of positions in the attack.

Do Fulham need Traore?

After a one year gap, Fulham are back in the top-flight of English football. Unlike 2018, the club have to be smart with their transfers. They wasted a huge amount of money only to get relegated at the end of the season.

Fulham are going about it the right way this time as they have secured the likes of Mario Lemina and Harrison Reed from Southampton and Anthony Knockaert from Brighton. Scott Parker is signing players with Premier League experience and while it would be a stretch to call Traore as someone with Premier League experience, at 24 years of age, he can be a smart bit of investment.

While he would have to compete for a starting place with Knockaert on the right-wing, he is someone who can pop up with frequent goals, if given the chance.

Read more

• Fulham join Leeds in the race for 20-year-old Portuguese sensation Florentino Luis – A bargain move to add depth?
• Why Fulham must secure a loan deal for Ethan Ampadu
• Why a permanent move for Anthony Knockaert is good for Fulham

Verdict

Bertrand Traore represents a low-risk transfer that Fulham should definitely look into. In case the transfer doesn’t work out, they can always sell him and if it does work out, Fulham would have an asset on their hands.