It would be mad to sell Adama Traore

Cam Ramsey says it'd be a mistake to sell our winger to Nottingham Forest.

Nottingham Forest are supposedly keen on our turbocharged winger. I want to stress why we shouldn’t sanction any proposed move away from the Cottage because, simply, a side that has Adama Traore in its ranks is far more dangerous than a side that doesn’t.

There are calls for Fulham to rid themselves of Adama, but as ever, our timelines are riddled with conflicting opinions. “Sack him off”, I read. “Get him gone”, others tweet. He may well be a highly frustrating attacker - that I can admit - but there’s method in his madness and it’s on us as a club to make sense of it.

A danger

For one, the baby-oiled Spaniard is a full-back’s nightmare. Get him in a straight foot race and he will humble anyone and everyone that stupidly steps in his path. There really isn’t a threat like Adama in the Premier League; he’s a one-of-a-kind menace that leaves opponents trembling in his wake and he doesn’t even need to be on the pitch for that to be so.

Even in the terraces, britches suddenly become heavier at the mere thought of him mauling underprepared defenders. He wins mental battles before he exits the team coach before kick-off. He isn’t a secret weapon; the entire division knows what he’s all about and there really isn’t a single thing they can do about it.

When his teammates are asked who the strongest player in the dressing room is, they all say Adama. When they’re asked who’s the quickest, it’s Adama. When they’re asked who’s the most difficult to contend with, he is unanimously name-dropped - so why would we want to lose such a ridiculously dominant machine?

Pros and cons

The bone of contention, of course, is his finishing in clear-cut scenarios. Manchester City at the beginning of last season springs to mind, as does Arsenal away two years ago. But in each game he left both Kyle Walker and William Saliba for dead and he was at the forefront of virtually every meaningful counter wagered.

Our famous 2-1 win at Old Trafford was sparked by the man. He whipped in pinpoint crosses for Raul Jimenez at Legoland. There’s plenty to admire about the 29-year-old’s contributions and at that age, given the intimidating shape he’s in, he still has plenty to offer and I am all here for it.

Traore may not be a gifted one-on-one dispatcher, although he is an almost unstoppable catalyst on the break and while we tend to focus on the misses, he’s chalked up decent stats. Two goals and nine assists in all competitions, predominantly off the bench, isn’t horrendous by any stretch and while there’s certainly room for improvement, I want that growth to be with us, not anyone else.

Could he track back with greater enthusiasm? Probably. Could he learn to control himself with steadier poise and conviction in front of the target? Definitely. Like all professionals, Traore has imperfections and yet he also possesses qualities only he is fortunate of, and they speak far louder than any lingering defect.

In short, and indeed long bursts, nobody can compete. Shoulder charges, shielding the ball, fending off markers, Adama is a cheat code and not one team in the league has anything quite like him. They have zippy, they have tricky, they have physical, but we have all of that wrapped into one player alone.

He must stay

Perhaps a reunion with Nuno Espirito Santo and European football is alluring - and few can argue with the latter. But I’d like to think the relationship between Adama and Marco Silva is already strong enough to ensure he remains in SW6 for the campaign ahead and though there’s talk of replacements being lined up, the essence of our summer transfer window has been retention; so why can’t we have both new signings and Traore?

I want right-backs to hesitate over sticking a leg in like it’s their first time unclipping a bra strap; I want tearful left-backs to tell their parents just how awful their day was; I want rival fans to shit talk and I want them to eat their words as our ballistic bruiser of a bloke switches on the style after a few customary misplaced passes.

To Fulham bigwigs, Tony Khan, and whoever else has a wider say in what happens in the coming weeks: holding onto Adama is smart and essential business and his rumoured departure shouldn’t be entertained.