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Aston Villa need someone to step up and lead the attack in Jack Grealish’s absence, can Bertrand Traore be this man?
The summer signing of Bertrand Traore for £17 million raised several eyebrows amongst Aston Villa supporters. Fans saw it as the club refusing to splash out for players such as Said Benrahma, and after they searched through the reactions from the Lyon fanbase, many were left unimpressed with his arrival.
However, right from his debut fans could see what he offered; strokes of brilliance, flair and quality. Something that Aston Villa need desperately with Jack Grealish on the sidelines for the immediate future.
With this injury, the attacking options for Dean Smith’s men look seemingly bleak. Traore could be the man to step up in his absence. With five goals and three assists so far in his career in the West Midlands, it is clear he can contribute. All fans are aware of his ability, however, the issue in his game remains, can he be consistent?
His performance against Leicester was promising. The goal early on in the second-half was only half of his display. With an expected goals (xG) value of 0.79, he accounted for 44% of Villa’s total xG. He can also drag the Villans forward, completing four dribbles for a distance of 144 yards and dribbling past four players in the process.
His effort on the defensive end also leads by example. Against the Foxes, he accumulated two tackles and two interceptions, the second-most for the squad, behind only right-back Ahmed Elmohamady.
His contributions defensively often go unnoticed in certain areas, averaging 0.96 clearances a game and 1.17 interceptions per 90. He’s very active on the defensive end, but far from perfect with issues with tracking and applying a press.
His ability to press is an issue defensively, he has the lowest successful pressure rate of all players in the squad at 20.2%. He is eighth in the team for overall pressures with 183, however, it is just the rate at which he is successful in doing so. He struggles to effectively apply pressure; however, it is promising to see his effort levels.
Traore most importantly produces for his teammates, they may benefit from him having a larger role in each game. Whether it be from set-pieces (assist against Brighton at home) or open play (assist against Arsenal at home).
The winger brings other players into the game and produces genuine goal-scoring chances. He has the third most completed crosses into the penalty box for Villa (5), behind both full-backs Matty Cash and Matt Targett. If Villa do create, it will most likely be through the Burkinabé.
There are several things he must improve on as he becomes more prominent in the Villa team. A pass completion rate of 72.3% is one of the lowest of regular starters, ahead of only Ollie Watkins at 71.1%. If he is to be the focal point going forward, he must increase his efficiency.
He averages 2.86 shot-creating actions per game (third out of players with 1000+ minutes this season for Villa), with Grealish out these numbers will only increase as he becomes more prominent in each attack.
With a season-defining run approaching with games against Leeds United, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United in the coming weeks, Villa need him to step up and produce. He has shown glimpses of brilliance, but he now needs to do so consistently.
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