Wolves' Adama Traore: Nuno has given me belief
Adama Traore has thanked his mother and Nuno Espirito Santo for giving him the belief to become a Premier League star with Wolves.
The 24-year-old winger has hailed boss Nuno for helping unlock his potential since he arrived at Molineux from Middlesbrough in summer 2018.
But he also paid tribute to his mum, Fatoumata, who remains his biggest supporter.
A 100-metre runner during her youth in Mali, she has been present at every Wolves home match this season.
Traore said: “One thing she taught me was belief and that I should never lose it. She said opportunities will be limited but if I focused and worked hard and if my mind was clear, then I would get everything I wanted.
“She said it was just about time and most of the time I have seen that people don’t want to put in the work. They just want everything now.
“In life you have to focus on your work and don’t think about the end before you get there. Before you know it everything will come.”
Traore had shown glimpses of his potential during spells with both Villa and Boro after moving to the former from Barcelona in 2015.
But this has been the season when everything seems to have come together. Traore has scored four goals and notched seven assists for Wolves in the Premier League.
He said: “Nuno has been a massive figure for me. It’s the confidence he gives me.
“From the first day I came to Wolves he just made me feel that he believes I can take on any player and make them struggle.
“That is massive for a player and maybe you think it’s just me, but if you ask any of guys they will tell you that the confidence of the manager is as important as the training you go to on a daily basis.
“A lot has changed for me, but the football ability has always been there it’s just a little bit of adjusting.
“The coach, food, my team-mates helping me out a lot and also just the attitude to keep working because when you continue working hard everything eventually falls into place.”
Traore is now eyeing a strong finish to the season as Wolves continue to battle on two fronts. Nuno’s men travel to Olympiacos next week for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
First they host Brighton in the Premier League tomorrow, aiming to make it three wins on the spin in the top flight for the first time this term and further bolster their challenge for Champions League qualification.
The visit of the 15th-placed Seagulls is the first of four in succession against teams in the bottom six giving Wolves, sixth in the table and three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, the chance to exert more pressure on those above.
“The mindset is not like we have to qualify for the Champions League,” said Traore. “We have to take every game seriously and adapt to the changing phases of the game. At this level every game is tough, so you can’t just be thinking of qualification. We are in Europe and it’s so hard to tell what might happen, so the mindset is to be up and ready to fight and get something from every game.”
