Newly promoted clubs continue to make noise this summer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly broken the club’s transfer record to sign dribbling wizard Adama Traore from Middlesbrough, according to the BBC. The report states Wolves triggered the $23 million release clause in his Middlesbrough contract that had two years remaining. That beats the club’s previous transfer record of just over $20 million for 21-year-old Ruben Neves from Porto last summer.
Wolves has already spent $57.8 million this transfer window, and adding Traore would only bolster the club’s vicious attack. They bagged 82 goals in 46 matches last season as they won the Championship, led by young Diogo Jota with 18 and 23-year-old Leo Bonatini with 12.
[ MORE: Smaller PL clubs continue to spend ]
Just 22 years old, Traore is already a massive outlier among dribblers at the top levels of the European game. In 32 Championship appearances last season, Traore attempted a MASSIVE 271 dribbles, completing 218 of them for an 80% completion rate. The year before that, in the Premier League, he completed a dribble every 20 minutes of playing time. In visual form:
While his passing needs plenty of work to make all those take-ons worth it, the young Spanish youth international is a bright talent who has Premier League experience at a young age.
More importantly, on a broader spectrum, the newly promoted clubs continue to spend and spend and spend. This transfer takes Wolves up to $82 million this summer, on par with Fulham’s nearly $90 million and well above Cardiff City’s $35 million.
