Bertrand Traore: Sunderland open contract talks as stats showcase his true importance
Bertrand Traore has had talks with Sunderland over an extended deal.
Regis Le Bris has confirmed that Traore has already held talks with Florent Ghisolfi in regard to his contract being extended at the Stadium of Light.
The Burkina Faso international joined the Black Cats on a one-year deal from Ajax last summer, but has had his season disrupted heavily by injuries.
His most recent setback could see him on the sidelines for another four to six weeks, having only just returned from an injury that had kept him out of action for almost two months.
Stats show why Bertrand Traore absence is worse than expected
Sunderland’s wingers have not set the Premier League alight this season, but Traore was the one who arrived with the least expectations.
Quite surprisingly, he’s proven to be the one with the biggest impact, despite the fact that Chemsdine Talbi has scored three times for the Black Cats in the Premier League.
But Traore’s stats from his season so far highlight the role he has played for Sunderland, with two big chances created in the top flight, compared to Talbi, Romaine Mundle and Nilson Angulo, who have all combined for zero.
As demonstrated by the Sofascore graphic below, Traore also averages the most shots per 90 for the Wearsiders at 1.83, followed by Mundle, who averages 1.53.
But perhaps the biggest difference is in regard to his key passes, with the former Villa man averaging 0.33 more per game than any other winger that has played at least five times for Sunderland this season.
What role will Traore have for Sunderland next season?
The Black Cats are expected to have another big recruitment push in the summer, which is potentially why they did very little business in the winter, with Jocelin Ta Bi, Nilson Angulo and Melker Ellborg the only arrivals.
Sunderland’s goal was to stay in the Premier League, and they presumably didn’t want to risk overspending in January when they were already on course for that.
And given the lack of threat they have posed offensively this season, bolstering their attack is likely to be the number one priority, which may shift Traore’s importance.
Le Bris will need his wingers to contribute more in the final third if they are to improve on the current campaign, and while Traore will be a good option to aid that, it’s unlikely that he will retain his place as their starting forward.
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