Vitor Pereira is faced with some crucial decisions ahead of Wolves showdown against Everton on Saturday night.
The most important of those is who should replace Matheus Cunha after Wolves’ top scorer was sent off for lashing out at Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.
Cunha now faces a three-match ban at the very least, and that could be extended after the Brazilian was sent off against Ipswich Town in December.
Pereira also has a selection dilemma in midfield. The Portuguese is stacked with options, including Andre, Joao Gomes, Tommy Doyle, Marshall Munetsi, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
The Wolves manager uses a system that includes just two slots in central midfield and leaves multiple stars on the bench.
While having several quality options is a great headache to have, Pereira thinks one underused player deserves to be starting more.
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Vitor Pereira thinks Boubacar Traore deserves to be starting more
Boubacar Traore suffered a long-term injury against Burnley in August and only just returned to the Wolves squad last month.
The Malian has been on the bench for the last three Premier League games but was substituted on against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
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Unfortunately, it wasn’t a happy return for the 23-year-old as Traore missed his penalty, and Wolves were knocked out of the competition.
However, speaking ahead of Wolves home clash with Everton, Pereira thinks the Mali international deserves to be starting more games but the depth of midfield options makes it difficult.
“If you are in the game and you need to score, Bouba is a defensive midfielder, he’s not a player to create, offensively speaking,” Pereira said via the E&S.
“Tommy Doyle can give something special in the cross, in the through pass. But I like Boubacar a lot because he’s a player with the spirit that I like.
“In training, he gives everything of him. He’s the kind of player that I feel that I’m not giving him what he deserves, but sometimes we have this problem.
“As a coach, sometimes we have this problem. We know that he deserves, but until now I didn’t find the space and the time to give him what he deserves.”
Traore has transfer interest from Feyenoord
In the summer, Traore was close to joining Feyenoord; however, his injury against Burnley in the Carabao Cup meant the deal collapsed.
The Dutch side are now expected to return for him in the summer, with Wolves fans urging Pereira to sell Traore, who has underwhelmed since joining in 2022.
A mix of injuries and inconsistent form have seen him fail to nail down a regular starting spot, and it makes perfect financial sense to offload him.
Wolves highest earners Weekly Wage
Goncalo Guedes £90,000
Pablo Sarabia £90,000
Matheus Cunha £90,000
Nelson Semedo £80,000
Hwang Hee-chan £70,000
Boubacar Traore £55,000
As demonstrated by the above table, Traore is among the highest earners at Wolves, receiving more in wages than several important players, including Joao Gomes and Emmanuel Agbadou.
So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him exit the club this summer, although Pereira’s comments suggest he could have a long-term future at Molineux.