Wolves’s Boubacar Traore Unavailable Until Christmas after Knee Surgery

## Wolves and Mali Midfielder Boubacar Traore To Miss Entire First Half Of Season With Knee Injury Midfielder Boubacar Traore will miss the first half of the 2023/24 season after undergoing knee surgery, Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed. The 21-year-old Mali international sustained the injury in training and has been ruled out for up to five months. Traore joined Wolves from Metz in January 2023 and made 16 appearances for the club last season. He is a talented box-to-box midfielder who is good at passing, dribbling, and tackling. He is also a good shooter from distance. ## Traore Blow For Wolves Traore's absence is a blow for Wolves, who are already short of options in midfield. The Mali international was expected to play a key role for the club this season. Wolves head coach Bruno Lage said: "It is a big blow for us to lose Bouba for such a long period of time." "He is a very talented player and we were looking forward to seeing him play regularly this season." "We will now have to look at other options in midfield and we will do everything we can to support Bouba during his recovery." ## What This Means For Wolves Traore's injury means that Wolves will now have to look at other options in midfield. Joao Moutinho is the only senior central midfielder at the club, and he is 36 years old. Wolves could look to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window, or they could promote from within. The club's academy has produced some talented midfielders in recent years, and Traore's injury could give them a chance to shine. ## Traore's Injury Is A Reminder Of The Importance Of Squad Depth Traore's injury is a reminder of the importance of squad depth. Wolves are now short of options in midfield, and they could struggle if they lose any more players to injury. Clubs need to have a strong squad with plenty of depth in order to compete at the highest level. Wolves will now have to hope that their other midfielders can stay fit and help the club achieve their goals this season.