Wolves are poised to announce the £30m club-record signing of Mexican striker Raul Jimenez on Thursday.
Jimenez, 27, has been a revelation for the West Midlands side since signing on loan from Benfica, scoring 15 goals and registering seven assists as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have excelled to 7th place in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals, where they will face Watford on Sunday at Wembley.
The club posted a pre-cursor Tweet regarding the impending announcement on Wednesday evening, with Wolves’ fans in raptures regarding Thursday’s expected confirmation.
04.04.19 pic.twitter.com/l1EmDJgLrK
— Wolves (@Wolves) 3 April 2019
The signing of Jimenez puts to an end months of speculation and is representative of a huge statement from both the club and player.
With the backing of Fosun International, Wolves’ parent company, the newly-promoted Premier League side were expected to ‘upgrade’ on Jimenez in the summer, yet the outstanding performances of the former Athletico Madrid man have seen any notion of an upgrade quashed, as Jimenez has shone to become an outside contender for the PFA Premier League shortlist.
For Jimenez, he has defied expectation, yet for Wolves, a club with loose purse strings keen to make their mark on the English top-flight, this season has served as a timely reminder.
Whilst marquee signings may excite fans and sell shirts, the diamonds in the rough with lesser expectation can often set the Premier League alight; Jimenez in the 2018/19 campaign is testament to this notion entirely.
With the distinct possibility of Europa League football and an FA Cup final, the current campaign has been fairytale-esque in the West Midlands, and the expected £30m signing of Jimenez further outlines the desire of Nuno, Fosun and all associated with the Wanderers that they are not here to merely partake and spectate, but rather to establish this side as a leading Premier League team.
Whilst Jimenez may be the first big-money signing arriving this calendar year at Molineux, with the backing of Fosun and the club on a trajectory that is presently unparalleled in the English game, the Mexican certainly won’t be the last.
