With big teams all around Europe desperate to find a gem in the transfer market, I take a look at some of the talents available to the astute manager.
By David Tuck
The first player to go under the microscope is Lacina Traore, a 21-year old Ivorian forward. Traore received his footballing education at ASEC Mimosas, in the Ivory Coast, before signing for Stade d’Adibjan in 2007. Making 27 appearances and scoring 6 goals, he was noticed by Romanian giants CFR Cluj, being signed up in January 2008. He gained European experience with Cluj, scoring a couple of times in both the Europa and Champions’ League group stages. In February of this year, Lacina joined Russian side Kuban Krasnodar for around €6million.
Traore has all the potential to be a top class footballer. For a start, at 6 ft 8 inches tall, he is an awkward player for a defender to mark, especially when one factors in the brilliance of his play with the ball at his feet. The Ivorian can hold the ball up well, and dribbles with intent at opposition players; one could liken it to the way Thierry Henry used to attack, but Lacina does it with more pace than the French master.
One of the qualities that makes me confident this giant striker will make it is his awareness of the ball and anticipation. He is invariably in a good position to poach a goal, or a good place to spring an attack. His height makes him hard not to see on the pitch, but the way he can ghost off a defender and then rejoin the offensive phase is remarkable, not to mention a trait that most of the greats have had.
Having been blessed with a lanky frame, Traore certainly utilises it. Accurate heading is backed up by a superb variety, from being able to loop the ball over the ‘keeper to powering it past, the Ivorian can do it on demand from almost any situation. He does not overdo it, however, as he regularly attempts to beat opponents with a good show of quick footwork and skilful trickery.
Lacina only moved to his new side five months ago, but it is entirely plausible that, should the right offer come in, he could be tempted to switch to a bigger side in Europe. Arsenal, Liverpool and Fulham have all supposedly been interested in his services, and I certainly think that the skill set he has would be more than suitable to the Premier League. I’d expect him to score a similar amount to Togoan Adebayor, as both share a lot of similarities. One can only hope that the attitude is not one of them.
