Boubacar Traore’s time as a Wolves player has not really gone to plan.
The midfielder came to the club in the summer of 2022, signing on transfer deadline day initially on a loan basis from FC Metz.
Boubacar Traore had some decent outings in his first season, and the hope was that he would build on that in his second term.
But sadly Traore would feature less because of injuries. And last term, he again had injury problems and was a bit-part player.
It was decided that Traore should go out on loan, a decision that some have now questioned after Wolves did not sign a new midfielder at the end of the transfer window.
But the decision was made, and there is no option to recall Traore in January.
So Wolves officials will be hoping he has a productive season – and so far, he has made a good start.
Boubacar Traore makes positive start on loan at FC Metz
The key thing this season for Traore is simply that he plays.
He has missed too much football since he signed for Wolves, and 2025/26 is about him getting minutes into his legs.
Potentially, he can then return to Wolves and contend for a starting spot. Especially as there is a very reasonable chance Joao Gomes and/or Andre could be leaving next year.
So far, Traore has made a decent start to life with his former club.
First and foremost, he’s started all four of their games. Traore has never started four games in a row for Wolves.
Metz have not yet won, but Traore has performed well – he is the third highest-rated player in their squad so far according to WhoScored, with a rating of 6.70.
And against Paris FC the weekend before last, Traore even managed to get himself on the scoresheet.
Wolves may hope for Fabio Silva repeat with Boubacar Traore
Wolves know just what a good loan spell can do for a player.
Fabio Silva played for Las Palmas last season and impressed despite their eventual relegation, scoring 10 goals.
That prompted plenty of teams to express interest and in the end, it was Borussia Dortmund who forked out a very respectable £23 million to sign Silva, who was keen to leave.
At one stage, that kind of money for Silva would have been unthinkable.
Potentially, a solid loan spell for Traore could help to raise his market value ahead of a potential sale next year.
But of course, there is always the notion that he could come back into the first-team squad, especially with Gomes and Andre likely to attract attention.