OPINION
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Rafa Mir didn’t enjoy the smoothest of transitions to English football after he joined the club in January.
The 6ft 3in Spaniard [Source: Transfermarkt] made just four appearances for the Championship winners after joining from Valencia and was quickly shipped out on loan to Spanish second division side Las Palmas this summer.
Everything has changed for Mir since returning to Spain, however. He has been in red-hot form for Manolo Jimenez’s side this campaign, netting four goals in nine appearances, as well as impressing for Spain’s under-21 side.
The centre forward has only played 542 minutes, however, making his record a goal every 136 minutes, well below one every two games.
That’s a terrific record this term and far superior to any of Wolves’s frontmen so far this season. He has two goals in his last two games and appears to be finding his feet again after a torrid few months in Wolverhampton.
His excellent form has Spanish newspaper La Provincia linking La Liga side Sevilla with a move for the young forward. However, Wolves would be crazy to let Mir go when he is finally starting to flourish.
Scoring goals has been Wolves’s number one problem this season and Mir could potentially solve that issue in the long term. Raul Jimenez is a decent and hard-working frontman, but he is not a natural goalscorer in the way that Mir has shown himself to be.
It would be senseless for Nuno Espirito Santo to let Mir go after deeming him worthy of signing mere months ago.
It’s imperative that young players are given time to adapt and Mir was given rather a short shrift last season. Nuno needs to show that the striker is in his long-term plans by rebuffing any approaches that come in for him.
It’s crucial that the club sorts out their striking issue in the future, but it’s possible they have the answer on their books already. They mustn’t let Mir go ahead of time.