Adama Traore’s spell at Barcelona has been impressive so far, having created four goals in ten appearances since joining them on-loan from Wolves this January.

Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho, who joined Aston Villa on-loan from the La Liga club in the same transfer window, has had an ever better start to his career at his new club, scoring four goals and assisting three more in the Premier League since arriving in the Midlands.

However, should Villa have made different decisions a number of years ago, Traore could have been lining up alongside Coutinho, wrecking havoc on English top flight defences together.

Villa sold the Spanish winger back in 2016 to Middlesbrough for £7m, after making just 12 appearances for the club in an underwhelming spell.

Since then, he has gone on to make 235 senior appearances for the three different clubs he has played for, scoring 16 and assisting 35 – a total which without context looks rather underwhelming.

Traore’s biggest strength isn’t his final third contribution, but more so his ability to get his team up the pitch lightning quick, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once saying about him after a match against Wolves: “The speed of Traore is actually undefendable in moments.”

Martin Keown, meanwhile, once compared him to a “learner driving a Ferrari” before comedically expressing that he was like Lewis Hamilton.

Now valued at £29m by Barcelona who have an obligation to buy the winger, Traore has become statistically one of the best dribblers in world football.

He completes the most dribbles per 90 (4.49) among wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, as well as ranking in the top 1% for carries into the final third per 90 (3.27) and in the top 1% for shots created from dribbles per 90 (0.71).

With the creativity of Coutinho, Traore could have found himself in far better positions more often thanks to the Brazilian’s creativity, as he himself ranks in the top 6% for passes into the final third per 90 (4.21) and in the top 2% for short pass completion percentage per 90 (91.3%).

The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star also has the football intelligence to pop up in the right place at the right time to provide an option for crosses, of which Traore ranks in the top 3% of per game with 4.18, and together, their ability could have caused nightmares for opposition defenders.

Unfortunately for Villa fans, this idea, while if things were different back in 2016 would have made it plausible, now will likely never come true, with Traore being contracted to rivals Wolves and being targeted for a permanent transfer by Barca and Tottenham. Evidently, it was a bit of a mistake to lose him for such a small sum of money.

In other news: “Pirlo esque”, “Bona-fide international star”: AVFC plot bid for £36m-rated brute