The January transfer window has been open for less than a week, and already Wolves have made another splash as they look to continue their quest towards the Premier League.
The Black Country outfit have swept all before them in the Championship this term, and the permanent arrival of Rafael Mir to Molineux has been met with great celebration.
He arrives with a huge reputation, but who exactly is Rafa Mir?
Details
- Name - Rafael Mir
- DOB - 18th June 1997
- Past Club - Valencia
- Nationality - Spanish
What's All The Hype About?
Wolves have managed to beat off interest from a certain Real Madrid to sign the young Spanish starlet, and that is enough to have the Wolves fans frothing at the mouth with excitement. He's a player Nuno Espirito Santo knows well, as he gave him his senior debut for Valencia back in 2015, and he was clearly eager to link back up with him in England.
Mir dropped back into the Valencia B team for the start of 2017-18, and he has been ripping it up in recent weeks. The promising forward has scored 15 goals in 19 games for the B team in Spain this season, and the speculation surrounding his future has been growing for some time.
Real Madrid were understood to be tracking the player for a lengthy period, and with just six months left on his contract, Valencia have been forced into selling one of their star assets. The attraction of linking back up with Nuno has to have been a factor in his decision to join Wolves, whilst the promise of first-team football is also likely to have given the Championship outfit an advantage ahead of the Champions League winners.
What Can Wolves Expect from Mir?
The hype surrounding Mir is clearly going to be hard to manage, and how he progresses in the Black Country is now going to be of great interest.
Mir can play anywhere across the front three, clearly has an eye for goal as his record this season suggests, and at 6ft 2ins the hope will be that he can also provide something of a physical presence in the box
Mir adds much needed depth and quality to compete with Leo Bonatini up front and Nuno will be hoping that both players can contribute this term, but also progress and become Premier League standard in 2018/19. The Portuguese Manager is clearly looking to prepare his squad for the top flight next season, and in Mir they do look to have nabbed one of the brightest young talents in Europe.
Reports suggest that Real Madrid were blown out of the water by the Championship club with the Molineux outfit snapping Mir up for two million euros, which is a risk for an unproven player. Time will tell if it is money well spent, but the early signs are promising and the link up with Nuno is clearly a major pull for a player who could have joined the biggest club in the world.
