£17m Aston Villa signing finally comes good after contract ripped up
Aston Villa signed Bertrand Traore for £17m from Lyon in the summer of 2020 after surviving relegation
Bertrand Traore is enjoying a new lease of life at Ajax, nine months after agreeing to mutually terminate his contract with Aston Villa.
He returned to his former club after leaving Villarreal in the summer having spent the second half of last season with the La Liga side on a short-term deal. Traore made 11 league appearances for the Yellows and scored one goal, which was the winner in an impressive away victory at Champions League qualifiers Girona.
The winger had only made 10 league appearances for Villa since the start of the 2022/23 season, and played double the minutes for Villarreal than he had over the course of those 18 months in the Premier League. Traore's first campaign with Villa, in 2020/21 - following his £17m move from Lyon the summer after Villa narrowly avoided relegation - was encouraging after he scored six goals and recorded seven assists in 36 league matches.
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Injuries prevented Traore from building on the form he showed in his maiden campaign with Villa as he only made nine appearances in 2021/22 and failed to score. It was why Steven Gerrard allowed him to leave on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir in the summer of 2022.
Following Unai Emery's appointment two years ago, Traore was recalled as Villa weren't able to get their prime target Nico Williams through the door. He went on to score two crucial goals in the club's quest to qualify for European football as he bagged a late winner against Leicester City, before then scoring in the victory over Nottingham Forest.
After managing to stay fit at Villarreal at the back end of last season, Ajax offered him the chance to revive his career. Traore spent the 2016/17 season on loan there from Chelsea, scoring 13 goals in all competitions and helping the Dutch giants reach the Europa League final, where they lost 2-0 to Manchester United.
This season, Traore is on track to at least match his goal tally from his impressive loan spell at Ajax eight years ago, having bagged six times so far. He has also recorded four assists in the 18 matches he has played. The 29-year-old is a mainstay in the team and has featured in all of Ajax's Eredivisie games so far this term.
Villa beat Ajax 4-0 on aggregate in the Europa Conference League round of 16 last season, and before the tie, Traore spoke to the club's media team about his love for both teams.
"I was there for the pre-season and saw how the team has developed," Traore told Ajax. "They have world class players and one of the best managers in the world, I think. Aston Villa is a great, passionate club with incredible supporters. They have an incredible history, and now they're back on the European stage where they belong."
"They have a lot of top players and have a lot of confidence. They're well-organised with a lot of individual quality. But Ajax is a great club. They aren't in the running to win the league right now, but sometimes you can rise above yourself in Europe. It will be a fantastic match.
"Villarreal plays at 9pm, but I am not registered. I will definitely try to watch the game before that. May the best team win."