This is an interesting read on Traore from Total Barca -
http://www.totalbarca.com/2015/youth/adamas-frustrating-journey/?type=storyline.
'Adama's frustrating journey.
Adama Traoré has more than one foot out of FC Barcelona. The 1996-born winger has been regarded as a pearl for a long time now, and has won countless plaudits for his talents and performances with Barcelona’s youth teams over the years. He burst onto the scene in 2013/14, and many were quick to label him as the next in line for a regular Camp Nou berth. Things have not turned out exactly as planned though, and Adama is now headed out through the back door. What’s gone wrong?
Adama was born in Barcelona to Malian migrants in 1996 and took his first footballing steps at his neighbourhood club Hospitalet. He joined Barcelona after taking the usual path for a Catalan footballer: A talented player at a small Catalan club is spotted by one of Barça’s numerous scouts and swiftly moves into La Masia. At La Masia, Adama shone. He took youth leagues by storm, reaching the Juvenil A in 2012, at the tender age of 16. He shone under Jordi Vinyals, and was a catalyst for the side that breezed through the inaugural UEFA Youth League in 2013/14.
2013/14 can be considered as Adama’s breakout season. Those closely following the winger knew he could develop into the real deal. He turned up week-in, week-out with some serious pace, brilliant dribbling skills and a strong build which literally allowed him to bully defenders. His Youth League exploits soon brought him to the attention of the world, and Eusebio wasn’t late in calling.
Adama made his Barça B debut in October 2013 away at Numancia, during tricky times for the reserves. Eusebio had been extra careful to avoid a case of burnout; the player was kept between short cameos and being left out of the squad. With Eusebio already in serious need of saviours by the turn of the year, Adama made the step up permanent. He started clocking up starting appearances on the right flank, where he began showing the very skills which mesmerised scouts and crowds alike during his Masia years. Lots of pace, being hard to bully off the ball and slick dribbling.
But there was a problem: Adama’s game, with the player not necessarily at fault, was proving to be far too individualistic. These things can be corrected, and Barça, of all teams, should have known. The alarm bells should have gone off, as coaches and analysts had seen the plot unfold before with Gerard Deulofeu. Eusebio didn’t put enough effort into moulding the raw gem he got shipped into a Barça player. He left Adama to his own devices. Adama was given all the freedom he wanted; some of the game’s superstars don’t get that much freedom. The goals and assists flowed as Barça B raced from the relegation zone to a third place finish, with Adama making the Liga Adelante’s team of the season having played just over half of league games.
Everybody was pleased with Adama. He was given the number 7 shirt last summer and was allowed to feel an undisputed starter by Eusebio. 2014/15 began and Adama continued to play the game he felt comfortable playing, breezing past opposing fullbacks at ease and laying goals for his fellow forwards. There came the point where Eusebio should have realised that Adama needed some more polishing. Rival defenders quickly found ways not only to limit, but on many occasions nullify ‘La Fletxa de L’Hospitalet’ (the Arrow of L’Hospitalet). Barça B’s game was becoming more and more predictable, but Eusebio continued to put his faith behind his number 7.
Adama saw his game fail to provide a cutting edge to the team, but did nothing to change it. He got stubborn and continued playing the same way; he kept bumping into walls of defenders and still continued making the very same solo runs. Eusebio was gone by January, with Vinyals taking over. The ex-Juvenil A boss put all his resources behind the effort to avoid the drop. Minimal care for individual player development meant that Adama was thrown onto the pitch with the same orders the other ten players had: “We’re drowning, play to save the team, no matter how you do it.”
Adama had not seen his chance fly away. Luis Enrique gave him a start in the Copa Del Rey but nothing more. At the same time, players like Sandro Ramírez, Munir El Haddadi and Sergi Samper, a year older than Adama but long time teammates of his, started climbing up to the next level. Luis Enrique had made his call, and clearly the Asturian saw no space for Adama.
That brings us to the present situation. Sandro, Munir and Samper are ready to make yet another step. Adama, on the other hand, is coming off the back of a hugely frustrating season during which he made no progress whatsoever, and undoubtedly not making the US tour squad won’t have gone down well with the player. The reserve team staff’s failure to polish Adama’s rough edges, and perhaps the player’s own mentality, have been his undoing. Some might cry that all the blame has to fall on the coaches, but consider this: Lionel Messi, a player who’s literally won everything with Barcelona, acknowledged he wasn’t perfect, and took measures which have reinvented his game. This is the professional mentality that not everyone has.
Adama’s future is certainly not lost. It just lies beyond Barcelona. Adama is currently in England with the club’s permission and looking for a new club. He is courted by many clubs; Liverpool, Stoke City and Aston Villa are reportedly very keen on doing with his services. Like a prospective undergrad, Adama is touring the installations of interested Premier League suitors who hope to convince him to join them. Adama’s got everything it gets to thrive in the Premier League: he’s fast, strong and has enormous self-belief.
For Barcelona, it is likely that Adama will soon become a memory. His only link with the club which bred him into the player he is now (regardless of the fact that the end product is not the intended one) will most probably be a buy-back clause set aside for the next couple of seasons. As with all La Masia pearls who fail to make the grade, Adama’s case is one of ‘what it could have been.’ Unfortunately, once again Barcelona have got it wrong at the last step.
The exemplar dealings with La Masia’s little gems appear to be firmly in the past now. Only time will tell if new youth football coordinator Pep Segura is able to turn the tide.'
