Currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso, Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traoré is not having the best of time in the Midlands.
Used incredibly sparingly by Unai Emery at Villa Park, the 28-year-old looks like he needs a transfer, as he is currently ‘falling off the radar’ at the Premier League.
That’s according to Foot Mercato, who look at all the former Ligue 1 players that are struggling in their current teams, with a segment dedicated to the Aston Villa forward.
They recall that he was brought back from his loan at Basaksehir FK last January, and was actually being played by Emery, although their description of his second half of the campaign being ‘sensational’ might be a bit of an exaggeration.
He did manage two goals in eight appearances for the Aston Villa in that, only one of which was a start, but he at least appeared to be part of his manager’s plans.
That has changed considerably this season, as Emery has only used him six times in all competitions, for a grand total of 41 minutes.
This is why Foot Mercato state that the Burkina Faso international’s career has ‘come to a standstill’, and there might be a need for a sale in the near future.
Whether that comes in January likely depends on how his country fare at the Africa Cup of Nations, with a win in the next game allowing them to top their group, after Traoré scored two goals in two games against Mauritania (1-0 win) and Algeria (2-2 draw).
The further they go, the more of January passes, and the more difficult a transfer is to pull off, with the Aston Villa player currently in Ivory Coast.
