£9.5m Portsmouth-linked midfielder suffers Wolves injury blow ahead of Blues showdown at Molineux

One-time Pompey-linked midfielder Boubacar Traore will miss Tuesday’s Championship contest with the Blues due to injury.

The Wolves man was at the centre of late-window speculation in the summer as John Mousinho looked to bolster his engine room.

The 25-year-old’s Molineux future was also under the spotlight after initially falling out-of-favour with new boss Cesar Peixoto.

With his future seemingly lying away from the Old Gold, Pompey and Spanish side Racing Santander had reportedly made enquiries over a loan deal in August, while Belgian outfit Anderlecht were said to have made a £3.5m offer for his services.

But, any speculation of a move was quickly rubbished, with the Blues instead signing Iyad Mohamed for a reported €300,000 - €400,000 deal from Portuguese side Casa Pia.

Traore, meanwhile, remained at Molineux and worked his way back in Peixoto’s plans, which has since seen him feature six times in all competitions this term.

However, the Mali international, who was signed for £9.5m in 2023, will be sidelined for Wolves’ rearranged Championship game against Pompey on Tuesday as he nurses a minor injury.

Pompey-linked midfielder to miss Blues game due to Wolves injury

A calf issue has forced the midfielder to miss all three league matches since the international break - including last Friday’s 2-1 triumph over Burnley.

Director of Performance at Molineux Phil Hayward explained Traore’s setback and suggested Tuesday’s game against Mousinho’s side will come too soon.

Speaking last week, he said: ‘Bouba has been out for a couple of weeks because of a problem with his calf.

‘He's back on the pitch working with the rehab coaches and doing really well. He's progressing nicely and he'll be back in full training in the next week or two.

‘It was a fairly minor injury, and he's responded really well to the treatment and he's back on the pitch working hard as it stands.’

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Wolves injury issues ahead of Pompey

Traore will also be sidelined alongside Raul Jimenez, who is expected to remain out until January after undergoing knee surgery last week.

The 35-year-old, who has scored once since his Molineux return in the summer, has missed Wolves’ previous four matches due to injury, with that absence to continue until the new year.

Wingers Bertrand Traore and Rodrigo Gomez and will also miss Pompey’s visit to the West Midlands in midweek, with respective hamstring and ankle issues.

Meanwhile, former Southampton striker Adam Armstrong could return to face the Blues after a recent back issue.

The 29-year-old was forced out of Friday’s 2-1 win over Burnley and will be assessed before Tuesday's re-arranged fixture.

Speaking ahead of the Turf Moor contest last week, Peixoto said: ‘Adam has a problem in the back and is not going to play (against Burnley). We think he might be ready to play in the next game [against Portsmouth on Tuesday]

‘The Championship is like that. We have to manage the minutes and because of that I want two players per position to rotate the team.’

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