Wolverhampton Wanderers have officially signed Bertrand Traore to a one-year contract.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have officially completed the signing of winger Bertrand Traoré to a one-year contract, further strengthening the team's overall squad. The Burkina Faso international is currently nine caps shy of his 100th cap for his country, and boasts extensive experience playing in the Premier League and accumulating valuable playing time in top European leagues.  

Bertrand Traoré, 31, ended his stint with Sunderland this spring. Last season, he made 12 appearances for the team, contributing to Sunderland's return to the top flight and helping them qualify for European competition. Now, the arrival of this new signing further bolsters Cesar Peschoto's attacking options, as he can adapt to multiple positions in the forward line.  

Bertrand Traoré spent a significant portion of his professional career in England. He joined Chelsea at 18 and worked his way up to the first team, making his Premier League and Champions League debuts. Early in his career, Traoré reached the Europa League final with Ajax, finishing as runners-up, before playing three seasons for Lyon. In 2020, he returned to England, joining Aston Villa, where he made 62 appearances and scored 10 goals over four seasons.  

Bertrand Traoré then embarked on his professional career in Turkey and Spain, playing for Istanbul Basaksehir and Villarreal respectively. He later returned to Ajax, where he had a standout season, making 49 appearances and scoring 10 goals.  

Last season, Bertrand Traoré made his third appearance in the Premier League, joining Sunderland. He also captained the Burkina Faso national team during the Africa Cup of Nations, where one of their group stage opponents was Nasser Dega. Now, the two have reunited at Compton Park as teammates.  

Wolves manager Cesar Pescotto said: "This is a position we've been looking to strengthen. He's an excellent player who can further enhance the team's strength and add more options to our squad. He possesses many of the qualities needed for this position: he excels in one-on-one duels, has excellent physical attributes, and is technically very good with his left foot. He can both score goals and create opportunities for his teammates. In addition, he has outstanding speed and is very threatening in utilizing space and making forward runs behind the defense."  

"This position will undergo many adjustments during the long season, so we need to have different types of players to give the team more options in terms of personnel. He still needs some time to get back to his best physical condition, after all, he has been training individually and also needs to gradually familiarize himself with our tactical system and style of play. However, he will be another important player in our push to return to the Premier League. As the games have shown, the Championship is very competitive, so we must ensure that we have two suitable players for each position to better cope with the continuous matches."  

Bertrand Traoré said: “I really love this stadium. No matter which team I’ve played for in the past, I’ve always felt that the atmosphere here is exceptional. When I played here for Aston Villa, we always had very tough matches. Now, I feel very fortunate to be on the other side and playing here, and it’s going to be a very special feeling. I will give my all to the team and try my best.”  

“I’ve always been a player who demands a lot from myself, so I want to keep putting pressure on the opponent in attack. For me, contributing isn’t just about scoring goals, but also about creating scoring opportunities for my teammates. Even if I don’t take the shot myself or deliver the final pass, as long as I can create threatening attacking chances, I can still help the team, and that’s the value I want to provide. I’m really looking forward to this new phase and I’m looking forward to wearing the Wolves shirt for the first time and making my debut at Molineux Stadium.”  

Image source: Internet/Wolves official website