As Bertrand Traore wheeled away to celebrate in front of the Aston Villa fans on Tuesday night, Unai Emery would have been delighted with his decisive impact.
The 27-year-old struck in the 87th minute to secure all three points in a 2-1 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and he did so in some style with a beautifully lofted and curled effort up and over the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.
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It was Traore’s first Villa goal since May 2021, and it couldn’t have come at a more important time for us currently as he sealed a crucial win in our ongoing pursuit of not only a top-half Premier League finish, but also potentially a path back to Europe.
After the decision to loan him out to Basaksehir in August last year with former boss Steven Gerrard deeming him surplus to requirements, a situation presented itself in January where Emery had key decisions to make in terms of how he wanted to mould the squad into his own for the rest of this season.
The Villa boss was adamant from the moment he arrived that he only wanted to sign players who significantly improved the current squad, and while he identified the right wing as an area he would like to strengthen, a deal for a preferred target seemingly couldn’t be done and so we opted to wait until the summer instead.
Having suffered an injury during his stint in Turkey, Traore had already returned to the club for treatment, but it soon became apparent that the Burkina Faso international would stick around and play a part for Emery for the rest of the campaign.
With back-to-back 25-minute outings last month, he has gradually been building his fitness back up and it took him just two minutes to score his stunning goal against Leicester and spark scenes of celebrations from the away end.
Given his situation earlier in the season, Traore would arguably have been struggling to envisage moments like those in a Villa shirt happening for him again, and so unsurprisingly, he was delighted when speaking in his post-match interview and emphasised his desire to help the team.
“Great win, three points and I’m on the scoresheet again, so I’m very happy,” he told VillaTV. “It’s always what you dream about when you come on as a substitute, try to make an impact, try to help the team.
“I was happy, I was lucky also that I was rewarded with the winning goal. So, I’m happy for the team.
“We have a good squad of players and friends, so we are in a good way and we are in a good place,” he added.
“We have a good atmosphere in and around the pitch, this is really important for the rest of the season and for the future of this team.”
Judging from the way in which his teammates rallied around him and pushed him to the forefront of celebrations in front of the Villa fans after the full-time whistle, he’s clearly a popular figure in the dressing room, something that Emery himself confirmed while praising the forward after the game.
As we continue to dream about a potential return to Europe, it’s moments like these in the season that can prove to be both decisive and a catalyst for what’s to come, and Traore making such a big contribution will be an impact enjoyed by all concerned including Emery, who seemingly made the right call in January and continues to lead our charge to being more competitive at the highest level.
While there’s a lot of talk about the summer and the club backing Emery to build his own squad and take us to greater heights, there’s plenty to play for right now this season still, and it’s hoped that moments like Traore produced on Tuesday night can lead to something special come the end of the campaign.
