If they are to prove Adama Traore’s final contributions in a Wolves shirt, they were out of character. He came off the bench against Southampton to score an injury-time goal. A substitute at Brentford, he found the net again, even if it was chalked off.
But as he returns to Barcelona, initially on loan, with the option of a permanent deal and with the possibility the Premier League has seen the last of one of its most idiosyncratically entertaining talents, the statistics show a mere eight goals in 160 appearances in England’s top flight.
There were only 14 assists, too, none of them this season, while the clincher against Southampton was a belated first goal. Few have terrorised so many defences without actually delivering the killer blow.
The fact he has gone to Barcelona, albeit an impecunious Barcelona who have somehow managed to fund his wages, is an illustration of his unique talents. He has a distinguished fan club. “He is a motorcycle,” Pep Guardiola once said. “Unplayable in moments; what a player,” Jurgen Klopp stated.
Antonio Conte wanted Traore at Tottenham, but tellingly as a wing-back, to use his mesmeric dribbling to get Spurs up the field and take opponents out of the game but without much expectation he would score.
Unstoppable but unproductive, Traore is a conundrum of a forward, one Wolves manager Bruno Lage failed to solve. Wolves averaged under a goal a game both this season and last. Pick Traore and it places a greater responsibility on the other forwards to score.
All of which Barcelona should know. “The people from the academy should know what my qualities are,” said a graduate of La Masia. Xavi Hernandez’s reign looks both a nostalgia project, taking Barcelona back to their roots, and a youthful rebrand.
And yet Traore feels the least Barcelona-esque player ever to emerge from their youth system. If Xavi was a byword for tiki-taka, Traore seems his opposite, the serial solo runner.
Barcelona’s ethos revolves around passing, Traore’s around sprinting. Perhaps it makes him better suited to a counter-attacking team than a possession side. His methods are very different. Traore took to greasing his arms to prevent opponents from tugging him back.
Their tactics meant he dislocated his shoulder four times in 2019-20, while 24 players were booked for fouling him in his first 26 games. Other statistics can highlight his uniqueness. He completed 160 dribbles in the Premier League last season. The next most was 88.
There was Traore and then there was everyone else. Defenders can be confounded. “I’ve never felt so powerless against someone,” said Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2020.
The challenge for every manager has been to turn those rare talents into a greater end product, to unlock his extraordinary potential and make him a regular match-winner. Certainly Traore can beat the best: three of those eight goals came in wins against Manchester City.
Rewind to his Middlesbrough days, however, and Tony Pulis used to switch Traore from one wing to the other at half-time so he was on the touchline nearest him and could coach him mid-match.
Now the task falls to Xavi, the Catalan antidote to Pulis. “I’m happy that Xavi has trusted me and I hope to return that confidence on the pitch,” said Traore. “I will have the opportunity to learn from a coach who is a legend at the club. I always say that an Adama who doesn’t learn from the day before is a lost Adama.”
As it is, Wolves have lost Adama, perhaps permanently, with memories of some scorching surges from the roadrunner but perhaps also the sense that their explosive enigma should have been more decisive.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013