Aston Villa are reportedly set to recall Bertrand Traore from his loan spell with Istanbul Basaksehir, having already returned to the club this month after suffering an injury.
As per the Telegraph’s John Percy, the 27-year-old is expected to be recalled and will be part of Unai Emery’s plans for the remainder of the season. It comes as we’re not expected to bring in a winger before the transfer deadline, with that role being singled out by the Villa boss earlier this month as a position of need.
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Should the transfer deadline come and go without a late deal being done, Traore could turn out to be a welcome boost for Villa, and the Burkina Faso international will potentially now have a second chance to cement his place in the squad as a key option in the final third if he can discover his best form under Emery.
Traore has contributed eight goals and seven assists in 48 appearances for Villa to date, but having fallen down the pecking order and been limited to a bit-part role, he was sent out on loan last summer.
As mentioned above, he did return to Villa earlier this month for treatment after sustaining an injury, and so with that in mind, there is concern over how long it might be before he’s a possible option for Emery on the bench.
According to BirminghamLive, Traore is already back running and could resume full training in the next fortnight. While the Leicester City game on February 4 will come too soon for him, it’s hoped that he can push to be involved for the remainder of February and onwards.
While he also has the versatility to play up front, Traore will give us another option on the right wing moving forward, and so it remains to be seen if he can impress in training firstly to earn opportunities from Emery, and if so, whether or not he can make an important contribution between now and the summer.
It will also be a chance for Emery to make a judgement on whether or not he forms part of his long-term plans, and so while there is a sense of disappointment that further reinforcements haven’t been added, it’s hoped that Traore emerges as a surprise solution even if only for the rest of this season.