Credit: Imago

Sam Stone

Thu 16 February 2023 16:40, UK

Nuno Espírito Santo has been linked with the vacant managerial role at Leeds United – and one player the former Wolves boss would almost certainly target is Adama Traore.

According to TEAMtalk (5 January), Victor Orta is still very keen on bringing the 26-year-old winger to Elland Road, with the Spaniard out of contract at Wolves in the summer.

Traore was signed by Espirito Santo in the summer of 2018 from Middlesbrough and it would not be a surprise to see the former Tottenham boss target him if he did land the Elland Road job.

According to the Times on 14 February, the Yorkshire side have held talks with the Portuguese manager, who is currently in charge at Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. It’s understood the 49-year-old would command a £5.3million release clause.

Considering Leeds’ consistent links to Traore, a move for the former Barcelona loanee would surely be high on the agenda if the former Wolves manager did land the job.

He’s an appointment which would divide opinion amongst the fan base. He was a success at Wolves and saw his time at the club come to an amicable end. However, the job he conducted at Spurs was less than impressive. Furthermore, a manager who is currently managing in the Middle East would hardly be an ambitious move.

It feels as if he would be the best of a bad bunch for the board, who have really struggled in their quest to find Jesse Marsch’s successor.

Orta has failed to land a number of his first-choice targets, with Michael Skubala set to take charge of the team for the foreseeable future. The pressure has been eased on the sporting director’s shoulders, with the Spaniard set to be judged properly when a permanent appointment is made.

In other Leeds United news, click here to see breaking, around-the-clock updates on Leeds’ search for a new manager in our interactive live blog.

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