One of the more amusing stories of the last couple of days has seen Hammers winger Adama Traore reportedly banned from the gym. Why? Because it seems West Ham have become a little too massive recently — largely down to the Spaniard pumping too much iron.
West Ham coach Nuno Espírito Santo is clearly concerned that Traore is too bulked up and I have to say, I agree. The jet-heeled winger might be fast in a straight line, but he’s got the turning circle of an oil tanker and would benefit from losing a bit of mass.
“I’ve told him to stay out of the gym. It’s enough weight that he carries,” was Nuno’s response when asked about Traore.
Quite how that will be received is anyone’s guess. Clearly oiling up and lifting weights is a big part of Traore’s USP. Nuno may well find that removing gym privileges from the big fella is about as difficult as getting my daughter to surrender her iPhone before dinner.
Mobility Over Muscle?
But in all seriousness, it may well be a necessary intervention. There comes a point where bulk becomes a burden, and the detriment to a player’s mobility more than cancels out the benefit to his strength.
At times, Traore can look like he’s running through treacle and West Ham have yet to see the benefit of that trademark pace. If trimming down gives him sharper movement and quicker acceleration over short distances, then perhaps Nuno’s “no gym” order could be the smartest decision he makes all season.
He was Nuno’s choice and Nuno’s alone, so Nuno can figure it out. One thing is certain, there are not enough weeks left in the season for Traore to change even if he wanted to, and evem if he did, he still wouldn’t be good enough.
he is way too bulky and it slows you down as well. Been thinking that for a while. I’m not being clever, I reckon most of us know it/can guess as much.
Most of all glad that the WHU coaches have said so. In an interview NES said they were working with him, trying to improve him – exactly what you want to hear. As he is now, he detracts from the team’s play and with WHU doing their upmost across the board to avoid relegation you simply cannot allow that.
I still maintain we’ve got nothing to lose by trying him up front with Taty. He’s physical and if nothing else could hold the ball up which we can play off.
For me, he offers little out wide, as we’ve seen in his limited minutes so far.
Sounds right to me. I used to play golf with a guy who ended up looking more like a weight lifter & ultimately he could hardly swing a golf club as he’d lost most of his flexibility & suppleness ⚒