Wolverhampton Wanderers are the leading challengers to Manchester United in fifth spot and have put together a significant domestic charge as they attempt to remain in the Europa League next season.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have also progressed to the Europa League last 16 setting up a tie against Olympiacos and could yet qualify for the Champions League with a fifth-place finish, depending on the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal of their two-year European ban.
Regardless of where they finish this term, the 2019/20 campaign has been one of real progress for the Midlands outfit and Adama Traore, in particular, who has embodied that progression at Molineux.
The Spaniard’s dribbling abilities have always been undeniable, they are impossible to ignore when watching him play. However, this season he has been able to add an end product to the captivating runs, scoring six and assisting seven in the Premier League and Europa League, as per WhoScored. His transformation has led to a significant increase in starts, having already made 22 this term and just eight the last. But it has also given him the time to potentially eclipse Eden Hazard’s top-flight record of 180 completed dribbles.
So far this term the Spaniard has completed 144 dribbles, which is already the third most in Premier League history. To match Hazard’s record haul, Traore needs to average four per game across the final nine matches of the season, which is highly achievable considering he managed five in just 26 minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.
That tally against the Seagulls saw him become the first player in the division to record 50 successful runs in 2020, for an average of one dribble completed every 13 minutes in his top-flight career. That is well under the usual length of time it took Cristiano Ronaldo to record a dribble, taking on one every 29 minutes while with Manchester United. Of course, the Portuguese ace had a much larger sample size, but it still serves to highlight the explosive impact of having Traore in the side.
Given the devastatingly short length of time it took for the winger to terrorise Brighton’s backline, it appears an inevitability as long as he stays fit and continues to play Traore will eclipse Hazard’s record for dribbles completed.
The Spaniard is shining under Nuno in the West Midlands, and whilst the records of Ronaldo and Hazard may seem irrelevant in Wolves’ pursuit of domestic success, it serves as evidence to suggest the former Barcelona man is taking his game to a whole new level at Molineux.
