Wolves flop was meant to "replace Jimenez", but was worse than Cutrone
Wolves flop was meant to “replace Jimenez”, but was worse than Cutrone
Wolverhampton Wanderers are on course to have their best Premier League season since the two seventh-placed finishes during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns under Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Old Gold were excellent during their first two seasons back in the top flight and much of this was down to their large contingent of Portuguese players.
Indeed, the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio were all esteemed international players, and it was the influence of Santo and agent Jorge Mendes which led these superstars to Molineux in the first place.
Another signing, Raul Jimenez, was their main attacking option and Wolves looked like they were building a squad which could see them cement their place in the top half of the table for the years to come.
Several of their signings during this time period lived up to their hype, especially Neves, but there was one who failed to make his mark at the club – Rafa Mir.
Why Wolves signed Rafa Mir from Valencia
Midway through their Championship winning season, Santo was already looking at bolstering his team ahead of potentially playing in the top flight.
In January 2018, the club announced that they had signed the 20-year-old on a four-and-a-half-year contract, and he joined that month for an undisclosed fee.
“I’m really excited to play with this team and to try and help the players achieve all the goals that the club has,” said Mir upon his arrival.
“It’s a club that has already played in the Premier League. It’s one of the biggest clubs in England and I’m really looking forward to my time with Wolves.”
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.
After scoring 15 goals in just 19 matches for the Valencia B side, it was evident that Mir was a player who would continue his development in England in the hopes of playing regularly in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out like that for the youngster, as he failed to impress at the club.
Rafa Mir was meant to replace Raul Jimenez
After loan spells at Las Palmas and Nottingham Forest, Mir went on another loan spell to SD Huesca in January 2020 for 18 months.
Jimenez had scored 44 goals for Wolves during his first two seasons, and it was clear the Old Gold had a player who was going to score them at least 20 goals per season, something which would be hard to replace.
The 2020/21 campaign, however, saw the Mexican striker net just four goals through injury, and Santo was seemingly in need of some added firepower in his squad.
Former Wolves striker Steve Bull spoke to Football FanCast towards the end of that season and claimed Mir could return from his loan spell to spearhead their attack during the following campaign.
“He could turn into a great striker so Wolves could send him back out on loan again for another six to eight months where he can get more game time and goals under his belt,” said Bull.
“Therefore, when he comes back he can replace Jimenez.”
He ended up being worse than Patrick Cutrone, however, another striker who failed to live up to expectations when he moved to Wolves.
How much Wolves paid for Patrick Cutrone
Cutrone arrived in the Midlands in the summer of 2019 for a staggering fee of £23m, joining from AC Milan, and it proved that Santo was keen on taking the club to the next level.
The Italian had scored 27 goals in 90 appearances for the Serie A side, and it looked like a stunning coup at the time for the Old Gold, as they were keen on adding more young talent to their first team.
He made 24 appearances during his maiden season in England, yet could only find the back of the net on four occasions, and it was beginning to look like £23m wasted.
Loan spells at Fiorentina Valencia and Empoli failed to convince the club that he was the man to lead the line and cement a place in the starting XI, before being sold to Como in the summer of 2022.
He was an expensive flop to say the least, but at least he scored for the Old Gold, something which Mir was never able to achieve.
What Rafa Mir is doing now
Following three loan spells, Mir was finally sold by Wolves for a fee of around £14m, going on to join La Liga side Sevilla.
The striker made an immediate impact back in his homeland, finishing the season with 13 goals in all competitions as he became a key member of the squad for the Andalusian side.
At the time of writing, Mir has scored 24 goals in just over 100 appearances for the Spanish side and, while this is hardly a wonderful strike rate, it proves that he has finally found a place to showcase his true talents.
What could have been had he remained at Wolves and was offered more chances in the first team, however? The centre-forward is clearly a wonderful player, as demonstrated by his stint at Sevilla.
Perhaps he was moved on far too soon, and if this was discussed a year or so ago, the decision may have come back to haunt Wolves.
Under Gary O’Neil, however, the club have improved from this time a year ago, and they have forwards such as Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha, who are currently proving their worth for the Old Gold.
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Mir was once looked upon as the natural successor to Jimenez a few years ago, but it just did not work out for him in the Midlands, and he has had to return to his homeland in order to restore a career that was going nowhere.
O’Neil will be looking to have greater success in the transfer market than a few of his predecessors. This could mean spending money on a few players, but making sure they are the correct fit for the club.
If they finish in the top half of the table, then this task could be made much easier.