Armand Traoré

Armand Mouhamed Traoré (born 8 October 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back. Traoré is a product of the Arsenal Academy. He has represented France at under-19 and under-21 levels, but has since opted to represent his parents' native country, Senegal, at senior level.

Armand Traoré
Traoré with Nottingham Forest in 2016
Personal information
Full name Armand Mouhamed Traoré[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-08) 8 October 1989[2]
Place of birth Chatenay-Malabry, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Left back[3]
Club information
Current team
 Free Agent
Youth career
1996–1999 Suresnes
1999–2004 Racing Paris
2004–2005 Monaco
2005–2006 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2011 Arsenal 13 (0)
2008–2009 → Portsmouth (loan) 19 (1)
2010–2011 → Juventus (loan) 10 (0)
2011–2016 Queens Park Rangers 87 (2)
2016–2018 Nottingham Forest 30 (0)
2018 → Cardiff City (loan) 4 (1)
2018–2019 Çaykur Rizespor 0 (0)
2019–2020 Cardiff City 0 (0)
National team
2007–2008 France U19 4 (0)
2008–2010 France U21 5 (0)
2011–2013 Senegal 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2018

Club career

Arsenal
Traoré playing for Arsenal in 2008

Traoré joined Arsenal on 1 August 2005, having previously been at Racing Paris and Monaco. Although mainly a reserve team member, making six appearances in the FA Premier Reserve League in 2005–06, he played in Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial against Ajax in the first game at Emirates Stadium in July 2006 and he was an unused member of Arsenal's 18-man squad for their UEFA Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb the following month.

Traoré went on to sign a professional contract with the club in August 2006 before making his first team debut in the League Cup in a third round match against West Bromwich Albion on 24 October, as a 24th minute substitute for Emmanuel Adebayor.[4] Traoré went on to start in a League Cup match against Everton which was won by a 1–0 margin at Goodison Park.[5] He then played away to Liverpool in a 3–6 quarterfinal win.[6] Traore was in the starting lineup for both semi-final legs against Tottenham Hotspur which was won by 5 goals to 3 on aggregate. He then played in the final against Chelsea, which Arsenal lost 2–1.[7][8][9] On 28 February 2007, he started the FA Cup quarter-final replay against Blackburn Rovers in a 1–0 defeat at Ewood Park.

At the beginning of the 2007–08 campaign, Traoré said he wanted to prove his quality to manager Arsène Wenger. He put in numerous impressive performances for the Reserves and even scored a few goals including a spectacular long-range effort against Tottenham Reserves.[10] In September 2007, Traoré returned to White Hart Lane, but this time only as a spectator when he was arrested for carrying knuckle dusters into the stadium. Traoré and a friend were taken into custody for questioning for the duration of the game, and he was given a formal warning. Traoré later apologised the situation and said that he did not know it was wrong because the laws were different in France.[11] He also started Arsenal's FA Cup tie against Burnley, before being replaced by Justin Hoyte in the 71st minute.[12] He was also upon the bench during Arsenal's 3–1 Premier League victory over Manchester City on 2 February 2008 without making it onto the pitch.[13] On 16 February 2008, he started and played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 4–0 defeat in the FA Cup fifth round. He finally received his Premier League debut on 5 April 2008, against Liverpool. He was used as a left-winger in Arsenal's final two league matches of the 2007–08 season, supplying the cross which led to Nicklas Bendtner's winner against Everton.[14] On 4 August 2008, he signed a long-term contract extension with Arsenal.[15]

Loan move to Portsmouth

On 21 August 2008, Traoré signed a season-long loan deal with Portsmouth to gain valuable first-team experience. He was given the jersey number 30, the same jersey number that he wore at Arsenal. He made his debut for Portsmouth against Manchester United at Fratton Park, playing the first 56 minutes of the game before being replaced by Jerome Thomas.[16][17] Traoré had enjoyed a fair amount of playing time in the early part of his loan spell, being utilised as a left midfielder. However, by way of injuries, Traoré's playing chances soon became limited.[18]

As so he went on to register an assist in Portsmouth's 1–1 draw to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.[19] Traoré then scored his first Premier League goal on 18 May 2009 at home to Sunderland in an eventual win 3–1 league win.[20] Altogether he made 19 appearances in the Premier League being capped 28 times as a whole and scored one goal with Portsmouth.[21]

Return to Arsenal
Traoré playing for Arsenal in 2010

Traoré returned to Arsenal in the summer of 2009. He thereafter played in Arsenal's 2–0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup, for up to 61 minutes before being replaced by Nacer Barazite.[22] Due to Gaël Clichy and Kieran Gibbs both incurring injuries, Traoré stepped up to the starting left-back position. He made his first start of the season against Sunderland and appeared in a 3–0 loss at home to Chelsea and a 1–2 win over Liverpool at Anfield.[23][24][25] Traoré himself became injured and missed a few matches, but returned against Aston Villa in a 3–0 win.[26]

Traoré's form reportedly attracted the interest of Paris Saint-Germain and Traoré was forced to strenuously deny reports he was set to move to France. However, he struggled in the matches against Everton and Bolton Wanderers. Clichy's return forced Traoré out of the side until May's trip to Blackburn Rovers, but the defender had proved he was a more-than-capable understudy, helping the Gunners close the gap at the top of the Premier League table.

Loan move to Juventus

On 31 August 2010, Traoré joined Italian giants Juventus on a season-long loan. He was given the shirt number 17, previously worn by David Trezeguet.[27] Due to an injury, he missed almost three months of the season before finally making his debut on 13 November 2010 against Roma, coming on as a 45th minute substitute for Fabio Grosso. The match ended 1–1 with the goals scored by Vincenzo Iaquinta and Francesco Totti.

Traoré made his first start for Juventus on 1 December 2010 in a UEFA Europa League match against Lech Poznań, playing 83 minutes before being substituted out in an eventual 1–1 draw. He made his first start in Serie A on 10 January 2011, in a 3–0 loss to Napoli. After a return from a short injury, he started in the matches against Milan and Cesena. On 10 April 2011, he played the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 win against Genoa.

Traoré spent most of his time with Juventus on the substitutes' bench, making only ten Serie A appearances. At the end of the season, it was confirmed he would return to Arsenal. On 24 May 2011, he played his last match for Juventus against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Gary Neville's testimonial match.[28]

Second return to Arsenal

Traoré then returned from his loan at Juventus in the summer of 2011. On 28 August 2011, he played for the full 90 minutes as a left-back against Manchester United at Old Trafford in an 8–2 league loss.[29][30] Altogether Traore was capped a sum of 32 times with the Gunners.[21]

Queens Park Rangers

On 30 August 2011, Traoré completed a move to Queens Park Rangers, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee.[31] On 12 September 2011, he made his QPR debut in a 0–0 draw against Newcastle United; he was substituted off for Matthew Connolly in the 51st minute.[32] On 17 September 2011, Traoré provided two assists against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3–0 win, the first for Alejandro Faurlín in the tenth minute and the second for DJ Campbell in the 86th minute.[33] On 25 September, Traoré was sent off in the 90th minute in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa. QPR manager Neil Warnock described Traoré's sending off as an "absolute disgrace".[34] In the last match of the season, against Manchester City, and needing a win to keep the club in the Premier League at the expense of Bolton Wanderers, Traoré came on as a substitute for Djibril Cissé in the 59th minute; seven minutes later, he provided a cross from which Jamie Mackie scored a header, leading to a shock 2–1 lead. However, Manchester City managed to score twice in injury time, resulting in them winning the 2011–12 Premier League title. Notwithstanding, QPR retained their Premier League status for 2012–13 after Bolton drew 2–2 with Stoke City, resulting in Bolton's relegation to the Championship.[35]

With QPR, Traore reached the 2014 Championship playoff final which the Hoops won 1–0 againstDerby County at Wembley.[36][37]

Nottingham Forest

On 29 July 2016, Traoré signed a three-year deal with Championship side Nottingham Forest.[38] However, he was not immediately fit to play, having missed the previous season through injury and having played his last match in April 2015.[39]

In January 2018, Traoré won a penalty, converted by Kieran Dowell, in Forest's 4–2 FA Cup over his former employers Arsenal.

On 2 February 2018, Traoré was loaned to Cardiff City until the end of the 2017–18 season.[40] He scored his first goal for Cardiff in a 2–0 win against Bolton Wanderers on 13 February 2018.[41]

Çaykur Rizespor

On 20 July 2018, Traoré joined Turkish Süper Lig side Çaykur Rizespor on a 2-year contract with a 1-year option.[42]

On 15 January 2019, the club announced that they had tried to sell Traoré, but no offers had arrived, and neither was he able to find a new club. Çaykur Rizespor had to sell the player to abide by the rules on the number of foreign players registered in the team. He was then moved down to the U21 squad.[43][44][45] He was ultimately released by the side and returned to Cardiff City on a short-term contract, who released him on the 7th January 2020 having not played a game. [46] [47]

International career

Traoré has represented France at under-17 and under-18 level. He played with the under-19s, helping them qualify for the elite round of the 2008 UEFA Under-19 Championship qualification. He participated in all three qualifying matches and one of France's elite matches, before France were eliminated by Italy.[48]

Traoré received his first call-up to the under-21 team on 13 November 2008 for their friendly against Denmark. The match resulted in a 1–0 victory, with Traoré playing 73 minutes before being substituted off.

In June 2011, Traoré opted to represent his nation of origin, Senegal, after discussions with their coach Amara Traoré.[49] His father also played internationally for Senegal. Traoré received his first Senegal call-up on 1 August ahead of a friendly match against Morocco.[50] He made his debut for Senegal in a 2–0 defeat against Morocco on 10 August 2011, playing 70 minutes before being substituted off.[51] Traoré was then called up as part of Senegal's squad for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.[52]

Personal life

Traoré grew up supporting Paris Saint-Germain.[53]

Traoré is a practising Muslim, and has been seen praying before a football match for Arsenal.[54][55] In 2010, Traoré claimed he would remove all his tattoos surgically, also claiming his religion was behind the move after embracing the Muslim faith. He said:

I'm planning to do this in the summer. They'll put me under anaesthetic and then do it all, and when I wake up everything will be gone. It needs a bit of recovery time though so I'm not going to do it during the football season. If I had been into my religion properly before I'd had the tattoos done, I think I would never have got them. I think it's one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life but I will try and correct it.[56] My religion has benefits both personally and in my career. I have always been a Muslim but I wasn't really practising it, I was just saying to people 'I am a Muslim'. It's a gradual development."[57]

Traoré explained: "It's all about many of the things that are good in football too – like resting, doing everything right, being nice to people, respecting, not swearing or lying, being fair."[58] He has said; "I used to say I am a Muslim, but I wasn't practising my religion .. wasn't doing the right things. I became a practising Muslim when I was 18. I stopped getting tattoos, I stopped seeing girls and wanted to settle down and get married."[59]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 13 March 2018[60]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2006–07 Premier League 00106000—70
2007–08 Premier League 30204020—110
2008–09 Premier League 00000000—00
2009–10 Premier League 90102000—120
2010–11 Premier League 00000000—00
2011–12 Premier League 10000010—20
Total 1304012030—320
Portsmouth (loan) 2008–09 Premier League 19120106000281
Juventus (loan) 2010–11 Serie A 10000—20—120
Queens Park Rangers 2011–12 Premier League 2300000——230
2012–13 Premier League 2601010——280
2013–14 Championship 2221000—20252
2014–15 Premier League 1601000——170
2015–16 Championship 000000——00
Total 8723010—20932
Nottingham Forest 2016–17 Championship 1200010——230
2017–18 Championship 1801000——190
Total 3001010—00320
Cardiff City (loan) 2017–18 Championship 41————41
Career total 1634100150110202014
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League play-offs.

International
As of 5 September 2015 [61]
National team Year Major competition Friendlies Total
TournamentAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
France U19 20082008 UEFA U-19 Qualifier400040
France U21 2008–10—005050
Senegal 20112012 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier101020
20122012 Africa Cup of Nations [lower-alpha 1]002020
20132014 WC Qualifiers [lower-alpha 1]001010
Total104050
  1. Player was part of the squad but has not played on any matches

Honours

Queens Park Rangers

  • Football League Championship play-offs: 2014[37]
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References
  1. "Armand Mouhamed Traore" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  2. "Armand Traore: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. "Armand Traore". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. Instone, David (25 October 2006). "Aliadière leads charge of Arsenal's young guns". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 6 November 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
  5. "Everton 0–1 Arsenal". Sky Sports.com.
  6. "Liverpool 3–6 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk. 9 January 2007.
  7. "Tottenham 2–2 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk. 24 January 2007.
  8. "Arsenal 3–1 Tottenham (agg 5–3)". BBC.co.uk. 31 January 2007.
  9. "Arsenal v Chelsea, 25 February 2007". 11v11.com.
  10. "Reserves: Arsenal 1–1 Tottenham – Report". Arsenal.com.
  11. Moxley, Neil (14 October 2017). "Arsenal old-boy: I took knuckleduster to north London derby and ended up in cell". mirror.
  12. "Burnley 0–2 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk. 6 January 2008.
  13. "Man City 1–3 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk. 22 November 2008.
  14. "Arsenal 1–0 Everton". RTÉ.ie. 4 May 2008.
  15. "Traore signs Gunners deal". Sky Sports. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  16. "Traore Gunning for United Scalp". Goal.com.
  17. "Pompey v Manchester United". Portsmouth.co.uk.
  18. "Deal or no deal? Armand Traore..." Vital Football.co.uk. 15 April 2009.
  19. "Redknapp fumes as Spurs stutter". Independent.co.uk. 19 January 2009.
  20. Dawkes, Phil (18 May 2010). "Portsmouth 3–1 Sunderland". BBC. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  21. "Armand Traoré". Football Database.eu.
  22. Emirates, Jeremy Wilson at The (22 September 2009). "Arsenal 2 West Bromwich Albion 0: match report". Telegraph.co.uk.
  23. "Sunderland 1–0 Arsenal". Eurosport.com. 21 November 2009.
  24. "Arsenal v Chelsea, 29 November 2009". 11v11.com.
  25. "Liverpool 1 – 2 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk. 13 December 2009.
  26. "Arsenal 3–0 Aston Villa". Eurosport.com. 27 December 2009.
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  28. "Traore played Gary Neville's testimonial match". ManUtd. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  29. "Arsenal full-back Traore called up by Senegal". Four Four Two.com. 19 August 2011.
  30. "Traore poised for QPR move". SBS.com.
  31. "Arsenal's Traoré completes QPR move". Soccernet. 30 August 2011.
  32. "QPR 0–0 Newcastle United". BBC. 12 September 2011.
  33. "Wolverhampton 0–3 QPR". BBC. 17 September 2011.
  34. "QPR boss Neil Warnock calls Armand Traore 'a disgrace'". BBC. 25 September 2011.
  35. Gibbs, Thom (13 May 2012). "Premier League clockwatch". Telegraph.co.uk.
  36. "Play-Off Final Highlights: Derby 0, QPR 1". Youtube.com. Queens Park Rangers FC.
  37. Fletcher, Paul (24 May 2014). "Derby County 0–1 Queens Park Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  38. "Traore agrees terms with The Reds". Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  39. "Armand Traore: Nottingham Forest defender to miss opening game of the season". BBC Sport. 4 August 2016.
  40. "Armand Traore loan deal confirmed". Cardiff City F.C. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  41. "Cardiff 2–0 Bolton". BBC Sport. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  42. "Armand Traore Çaykur Rizespor'da".
  43. Çaykur Rizespor'da Yeni Transferler Tanıtıldı, milliyet.com.tr, 16 January 2019
  44. Armand Traoré at Soccerway
  45. Okan Buruk: Emin adımlarla yolumuza devam etmek istiyoruz, fanatik.com.tr, 31 January 2019
  46. "Armand Traore: Cardiff City re-sign Senegalese full-back". BBC Sport. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  47. "Armand Traore: Senegalese full-back leaves Cardiff without playing". BBC Sport. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  48. "Traore played all of France qualifying matches". 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  49. "Traore opens to play for Senegal". StarAfrica. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  50. "Senegal call France U17 ace Niang". BBC News. 31 July 2011.
  51. "Senegal 0–2 Morocco". World Football.net.
  52. "Senegal Name Roster for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations". Goal.com.
  53. "Armand Traoré: Talentspotter". FourFourTwo. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  54. "Traore seen praying before a match". Youtube. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  55. "Traore seen praying before a home game". Youtube. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  56. Smithfield, Jackie (24 July 2012). "Ramadan A Positive For Cisse and Ba?". Mirror Football. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  57. "Arsenal's Armand Traore To Undergo Surgery". Goal.com. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  58. "Arsenal defender Armand Traore plans tattoo removal". Daily mail. London. November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  59. Law, Matt (7 April 2012). "Armand Traore Hopes To Bury Nightmare". Daily Express. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  60. "Statistics". Soccernet. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  61. "Armand Traoré". NFT. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
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