Auxerre’s Bournemouth loanee could be critical to their hopes of remaining in Ligue 1 | OneFootball

With two wins in their previous three Ligue 1 fixtures, AJ Auxerre have put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Manager Christophe Pélissier has put a lot of faith in Hamed Traoré (24) to keep this side out of relegation danger, and the Ivorian has delivered so far.

Traoré came to the Burgundy club on loan from Premier League side AFC Bournemouth for one year with a no-purchase clause, and he’s been the heartbeat of their attack throughout the campaign thus far.

Pélissier described Traoré as ‘”beyond being a great player, he’s mostly a great boy.“

He added: “We’ve done a lot of work, especially in video, and he’s assimilated well.”

A runner-up at the 2019 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, Traoré was instrumental in Auxerre’s 2-1 triumph over Stade de Reims on Sunday, which lifted them up to 12th in the table.

He netted his third goal of the campaign over the weekend, ultimately the winner, more than anyone on the team domestically this season, rounding the Reims goalkeeper and showing tremendous composure to finish off his opportunity.

More than his contributions in front of goal, though, Traoré’s technical finesse and ability to feel the game has been evident for the 2023-24 Ligue 2 champions.

His dribbling abilities have enabled Auxerre to be effective in transition in the early stages of the campaign while he’s among his side’s best ball progressors.

Meanwhile, he’s managed to offload the ball quickly and open passing lanes, enabling Auxerre to break through pressing structures. Thanks to his contributions, AJA have three wins after eight top-flight matchdays for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

On that occasion, Auxerre finished on the podium, ending that campaign in third place with 71 points and earning a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre