As part of the deal to bring the Malian to Molineux on a season-long loan from Metz in September, Wolves inserted an option to make the move permanent once certain clauses were met, and in the summer the midfielder‘s four-year contract will commence, with the club holding an option of a further 12 months.
Traore has made a positive impact at Wolves since making the switch from France, enjoying eight appearances during the first three months of his debut Premier League season.
The 21-year-old’s pace and energy in the centre of the pitch has already seen him become a favourite among the Wolves supporters, and the midfielder’s joy at being part of the pack was evident when he got off the mark in gold and black with a stunning strike against Leeds United at Molineux to secure Wolves’ place in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
A popular member of Julen Lopetegui’s first-team squad, Traore has also become a full Mali international since joining Wolves, playing 90 minutes in his country’s 1-1 friendly draw with Algeria in November.
Having been an admirer of Traore for a long time, Wolves’ sporting director Matt Hobbs is excited to confirm the midfielder will become a permanent member of the first-team squad this summer.
“The way the deal was structured, Bouba was always going to become our player, but to be able to make it official is very satisfying.” Hobbs said. “For me, it’s a really exciting signing and I think we can all see he’s been a real success so far.
“Bouba was a player we had wanted for a while, and I took many trips over to France to watch him. He was someone we looked at bringing into the club this time last year, and although it wasn’t possible then, we worked hard to bring him in during the summer.
“We felt his energy, his enthusiasm and pace from the middle of the pitch would be really important, but we also knew his ceiling was high. He was a young lad who had moved from Mali, he’d had limited coaching at Metz, and we knew the technical side of his game would improve once he joined us, and we’ve already started seeing improvements in that area of his game.”
Despite Traore already displaying plenty of quality in his short time in gold and black, Hobbs is looking forward to seeing how far the Mali international can continue to improve, once he’s returned from a groin injury which has kept him out of action in recent weeks.
“What’s most exciting is that there’s so much more to come from him, especially working under Julen and his staff.
“From my perspective and from the coaching staff’s perspective, Bouba’s development is still in the early stages. Physically he’ll get stronger, he’ll get more explosive and he’ll also keep improving technically with his game understanding.
“But we’re really happy with him. We believed in what he had, and although we know there is still plenty to develop, he’s only 21 and he’s still adapting. His English is getting better and he’s getting more comfortable all the time, but he’s settled well into the group, he’s happy here, and when you see him around the training ground he’s always smiling, which shows the kind of person he is.
“It also shows the good work of Ben Wrigglesworth and his recruitment team, in that their identification of him was right and that the identification and recruitment fits the model of a player we didn’t have and we’ve probably not had for a while. Every team needs that energy in the middle of the park, and we have that in him.
“But I’m really glad he’s here and I’m excited to see what he can do for the club during his Wolves career.”
