Football: Boro wanted to keep Wolves star Traore - Tony Pulis

Former Middlesbrough boss Pulis was full of praise for Adama Traore and admits club never wanted to sell him. Tony Pulis: Tony "I think Adama [Traore] always had the ability to play. The big thing was his confidence. I think he needed a period at the right time. He had gone and worked for a few managers who not washed him away but who weren't enamelled enough to play him on a regular basis. I obviously knew him as a West Brom manager watching [Aston] Villa, watched him in the reserves a few times. His pace and balance was just extraordinary. Going to Middlesbrough he wasn't in the team when I got there but I wanted to make him a focal point of the team. We did that and the biggest thing with him is that he grew in confidence and he started to believe in himself. He's gone to Wolves, we didn’t want to get rid if him at Middlesbrough but the only problem were the finances. Everyone knew Steve Gibson had to sell because of the finances. Unfortunately, the situation they were in Middlesbrough, with the finances, Steve would never have sold Adama. He went to the right club, stepped up and has murdered it. I think he can only get better."