TRAORE REVEALS FAILED MOVE

Bertrand Traore has revealed that he turned down the chance to sign for Sunderland under David Moyes in 2016, opting to join Ajax on loan instead. In the years following his rejection we suffered a double relegation and spent four horrible years in League One, whilst Traore earned a permanent move to Lyon and has played regularly in the Champions League and Europa League throughout his career. The winger has explained why when Sunderland came calling in the summer, it felt different this time.

FIRST MOVE FAILED

“I had the chance to join Sunderland a few years ago when I was still playing for Chelsea. Then, I chose to go to Ajax, but then now, it’s the second time the chance came back to me. And I was happy to join this club."

SECOND TIME LUCKY

“I would say they've been in my mind all this time. At some point, I had contact with Sunderland when I was younger, but it didn’t happen. And then now, it was the second time, it happened. So, I’m happy to wear the colours of Sunderland.”

NO HESITATION

“When I got the call, I was with the national team, and I didn’t hesitate even one second. It was okay for me, it was a normal decision for me to join this team. I was following the Premier League and I saw they were already doing good at the start [of the season], so it was a good opportunity for me. I left Ajax and the Champions League to come to such a club, but it’s a big club."

BIG CHALLENGE

“They have been struggling for the last few years, but now they're back in the top-flight and they're doing well. So yeah, I want to be part of this. And then I also like challenges. This is one of the big challenges we have this season.”

VERY HIGH STANDARDS

“I knew the name of the players before, some I had faced in the past. But to be honest, I was surprised about the quality of the players and the atmosphere around the team. And also the quality of the work from the whole staff. So, it’s really fantastic. And then Granit [Xhaka] is one of the best captains I’ve had in my career so far. He always has the right words, always has the right attitude and mentality. He transferred this to all the players, in the dressing room and on the pitch. It’s been brilliant for all of us this season so far - we hope we will continue like this.”

MOVE CAME FAST

“My agent, of course, and then the directors. They contacted my agent, Ajax, and then I got the call. So it was a quick decision for me. I said, yeah, of course I want it. And it was on the last day that we moved forward. So yeah, I was happy to be there.”

ONTO ARSENAL

“First of all, we’ll try to recover from the [Everton] game, then we’ll start directly to prepare against Arsenal. Of course, we want to make results in every game. We take it game by game, so we’ll get prepared and then be back on Saturday at home to try to get the three points.”