Nuno Espirito Santo has experienced a solid start to his Tottenham tenure, picking up maximum points from difficult Premier League contests against Manchester City and Wolves.
The Spurs boss is keen to add to his ranks before the closure of the transfer window according to reports, with an interest held in one of his former players, Adama Traore.
The Spaniard has a contract which is due to expire in two years, and talks regarding a renewal have supposedly proven to be problematic to date.
Espirito Santo could take advantage of his former employers by capitalising on the situation, and based on his time in charge at Molineux, he's showcased a clear understanding of how is best to use Traore's unique skill set.
The 25-year-old was carefully deployed throughout Espirito Santo's time at Wolves, with his role largely depending on the match scenario up until very recently, with Traore since becoming a regular starter.
Traore is an explosive dribbler; he's capable of shifting to his top speed in a matter of seconds, which is why most opponents either have to make a foul or allow him to progress once he attempts to carry possession towards goal.
In the Premier League last season, he completed an incredible total of 160 dribbles, which was almost double the amount of the player in second place - Marcus Rashford - who ended the campaign on 88.
He also topped Europe's top five leagues for dribbles ahead of second-placed Lionel Messi on 149, and Huesca's Javi Galan on 114.
The story is following a similar path this season; he's currently top of England's top-flight after just two games with 16 dribbles, which is already more than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed throughout the whole of last year.
Given those qualities, he was often used as an outlet and a way in which to attack space by Espirito Santo, regardless of his position on the field.
For example, he was deployed as a right wing-back on a number of occasions including matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, with the clash against the latter acting as a perfect template for how to use his skills.
After starting as a wing-back, Espirito Santo eventually moved Traore to perform as a centre-forward after the 70th minute with City still searching for an opening goal.
The presence of the speedy forward presented Pep Guardiola with a tactical problem to overcome - as shown below - as although he wanted to commit players forward to find the net, Traore was simply too dangerous to be left alone.
City continued to search for a winner but it failed to happen, and they conceded twice near the end of the match, with both goals scored by Traore after counter-attacks had materialised.
When he's encouraged to simply do what he's good at, he's a force to be reckoned with, and that was evidenced on a weekly basis under Espirito Santo as he effortlessly beat defenders and crossed from the byline.
Raul Jimenez - who has a strong heading ability - was usually on the receiving end of those deliveries, with Traore bagging most of his assists through his tendency to feed the Mexican striker.
A lack of end-product has always been a criticism levelled at Traore but when it comes to offering a threat and providing a trump card of sorts, he was consistently able to act as the ace up Espirito Santo's sleeve.
He possesses very obvious pros and cons, but The Spurs boss has shown to be a master of harvesting the former during matches.
