Barcelona have officially confirmed the return of Adama Traore to the Catalans on loan from Wolves. Barca have an option to buy for 30 million euros. Xavi Hernandez gets himself a player who is strong physically, is able to get away from players and who came through the La Masia academy.
Adama Traore is back. The youngster who came through the Barcelona academy has returned after spending six and a half years in England at Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Wolves. He returns on loan until the end of the season with an option to buy for 30 million euros plus variables.
Barca confirmed in an official statement the signing of the winger. He had been linked with a move away for weeks in the British tabloids as Wolves either had to sell him or not have to pay his salary. The Catalans have taken him on loan and will pay his salary.
Barca got there ahead of Tottenham, another of the clubs interested in the attacker. Antonio Conte had apparently approved of his arrival, but he has decided to return to Spain.
With Adama Traore, Barca get a player who is strong physically and is able to get away from players. He has been terrific in recent years and is also very well built. He could be the man Barca need to bolster their attack.
Xavi has resorted to many academy players since his return as they know well the style of Barca want. However, sometimes, they have been too weak physically. A clear example was the thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich which saw them eliminated from the Champions League.
With Adama in their ranks, Barca will have someone who can be decisive in games and cause the opposition a headache down the right wing. That is key to Barca's play. As well as long possessions, they now have another resource to break down the opposition.
'ESPN' reports that Traore will get paid 1.25 million euros during his half a season at the club.
One of Xavi Hernandez's mantras has had in mind since 2017 is that a footballer who leaves La Masia cannot return. He has broken that rule with Adama Traore, who came through the Barca academy, but has then spent the majority of his career in England.
This could be the start of them bringing more players of this type like Xavi Simons. He has been linked with a return from some time and he is in a difficult situation at PSG, where he is not convinced about renewing. In any case, the important conclusion is that, now, the former La Masia footballers are no longer 'excluded' from Barca.
This strategy by Xavi has become even more known in his time as Barca coach, but he has thought this since 2017 when players like Eric Garcia and Jordi Mboula left when Josep Maria Bartomeu was the president. At that time, he gave his opinion about this to 'Sport'.
"The truth is that I'm very surprised by what they've done. I wouldn't get them back in the future. I'd have that philosophy. You've been here, you've wanted to leave, well now you aren't coming back. I understand that, if you want to leave, it's for some reason. Like Toral, he left because his mother was English. Perfect. But that's the way it is, the opportunity has passed," he said.