Adama Traore was chased by Tottenham for the good part of 12 months, which is what made it a surprise when the Wolves attacker instead moved to FC Barcelona in January.
The Spanish international returned to the club where it all started as Traore signed for Barcelona on loan until the end of the season with a view of making the transfer permanent in the summer window.
For Tottenham, the transfer was a blow, with both Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte eager to sign Traore with Fabio Paratici unable to get a transfer over the line for the north London side.
To make matters worse, Traore made his debut for Barcelona this weekend, and the stats show a player who Spurs could have done with signing as the winger starred for the La Liga giants in one of their results of the season.
Traore guides Barcelona to 4-2 win against Atletico Madrid
Starting out on the right with Ferran Torres in the striker role and Gavi on the left wing, Traore didn’t look out of place in Barcelona’s interesting front-three. And it didn’t take long for the former Premier League star to make an impact in the game.
After Jordi Alba’s stunning equaliser ten minutes in, Traore registered his first assist for Barcelona 11 minutes later as the winger’s cross on the byline was finished off by Gavi, firing the hosts into the lead.
The dribble was one of five Traore would attempt during the game as per WhoScored the Spaniard asserted his dominance down the right-flank against an Atletico side that have been surprisingly weak in defence this season.
Paratici and Spurs will be kicking themselves for transfer hiccup
It seems almost comical that Traore had a Man of the Match performance on his Barcelona debut against one of Europe’s best clubs, and for Paratici and Tottenham, it was a stark reminder as to what could have been this January window.
Indeed, a powerful winger who likes to take on players could have suited Conte’s system perfectly. And whilst Tottenham managed to sign exciting names in the window, there’s no denying that allowing Traore to move to Barcelona will haunt the north London side.
The attacker looked dangerous against Atletico, and with Barcelona now in the La Liga top-four, Traore could play a key role in helping the Catalan side qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
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