Tottenham deal for Traore likely with both sides still negotiating

Get yourself oiled up and ready, because this one looks like it’s going to slip right over the line. According to The Athletic’s Tim Spiers on Twitter, Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Wolves winger Adama Traore is looking more and more inevitable before the close of the January transfer window. Spiers is The Athletic’s chief Wolves writer and basically Tier 1 on all things Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This looks likely not just because Antonio Conte wants him and sees him as an option as a right wing back in his tactical system, but also because Traore is pretty clearly not going to be signing a contract extension at Wolves. Besides, there’s going to be a Tanguy Ndombele-shaped hole in the Tottenham discourse opening up pretty soon, just perfect for an oily direct dribbly Spanish winger to come and fracture the fanbase again.

There’s still the matter of the fee. Wolves apparently want £20m, Spurs reportedly had a £15m fee mooted and rejected. As I posted yesterday, that just screams “compromise.” Assuming all sides want the deal, and there isn’t much reason to think otherwise, this one looks like it’ll happen, and possibly sooner rather than later.

Traore is going to once again provide a ton of fodder for conflicting viewpoints in the comments and on social media. He’s also going to be a football sicko and fun as hell to watch. I can’t wait. Bring it on.