Traore joined Sunderland for around £2.5m at the start of the month, with his move being confirmed just hours after Roberts completed his season-long loan switch to Birmingham City.
The two moves were connected, with Sunderland making their move for Traore at the same time as Roberts’ exit was being finalised.
The 30-year-old is a left-footed winger who has spent most of his time playing in an inverted position on the right-hand side, and Le Bris primarily sees him performing in the same position with Sunderland, replicating the role that Roberts performed so effectively in the Championship.
The Sunderland boss is not expecting Traore to make an immediate impact on the starting line-up, with the winger having spent the last fortnight on international duty with Burkina Faso. Prior to that, he found himself on the fringe of things at Ajax, so it would be understandable if he was short of match sharpness for the next few weeks.
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Eventually, though, Traore will hope to make the kind of impact that persuaded Aston Villa to shell out £17m to sign him from Lyon in 2020 and that saw him touted as one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe when he first broke through at Chelsea more than a decade ago.
“I think his \[Traore\] role could be close to the role of Pat Roberts for the beginning of the season,” said Le Bris. “He has this profile.
“I think he can play in different positions. But I like him as a right-winger, left-footed, creative with the ability to change the game. And in one-versus-one, in combination play, he's a good finisher.
“He can create against deep blocks. He can create in transition. We'll see after that if he can fit in as a starter. Probably he can compete for this, because of his background and his experience. But, at least, I think he has this ability to change the game.”
Traore is one of a number of Sunderland’s summer recruits who could potentially play in a range of different positions, and Le Bris admits that versatility was a key attribute the club’s recruitment team were looking for as they conducted their business.
“It’s a good idea to have this \[versatility\],” he said. “I think the players, at the level they are at, can master different roles. It’s not just about the position, it’s about carrying out different tasks during the game.
“The more you are versatile, the more useful it is for the squad. They are adaptive, and I think that is the main word. If you are adaptive for the position, and adaptive so you are able to solve problems during the game, then that is very positive.”