Raul Jimenez: Who is the Mexico international set for Wolves?
Wolves are poised to sign Mexico striker Raul Jimenez on loan from Benfica.
Here we take a detailed look at the 27-year-old to get the low-down on what he could bring to Wolves as they prepare for an assault on the Premier League.
Factfile
Full Name: Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez
Age: 27
DOB: 5 May 1991
Nationality: Mexican
Position: Striker
Height: 6ft 1in
Previous clubs: CF America, Atletico Madrid, Benfica
Career stats*
CF America (all competitions)
2011/12 - 18 (8) appearances 2 goals
2012/13 - 39 (0) appearances 14 goals
2013/14 - 35 (0) appearances 16 goals
2014/15 - 4 (2) appearances 4 goals
Atletico Madrid (all competitions)
2014/15 – 28 (22) appearances 1 goal
Benfica (all competitions)
2015/16 - 45 (30) appearances 12 goals
2016/17 - 32 (23) appearances 11 goals
2017/18 - 43 (34) appearances 8 goals
Mexico (all competitions)
Appearances: 63 (27)
Goals: 14
*Brackets indicate appearances from the total which came as a substitute.
What kind of player is Jimenez?
Pacey, instinctive and good with the ball at his feet, Jimenez is a known quantity on the continent having made the move from his native Mexico to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in 2014.
A right-footer who prefers to play up front, he can also be utilised as a secondary striker due to his good ball control and passing. But he's best used as an out-and-out centre forward as he's an instinctive finisher in and around the penalty area.
Jimenez shines most with the ball on the floor and is capable of beating players using his pace and dribbling skills. However, he's also adept in the air, using his sizeable 6ft 1in frame to his advantage.
In Mexico, he notched 36 goals for boyhood club CF America in just 96 appearances, earning himself a move to Europe.
Joining Atletico Madrid, he managed just one goal in 28 appearances at the Vicente Calderon - but left for Portuguese side Benfica in 2015 for almost £20m, a record fee for a Mexican player.
Since his move to Portugal he's managed 31 goals in 120 appearances, as well as bagging 15 assists. He has Champions League experience having featured 22 times in the competition over his career, bagging four goals and three assists.
It remains to be seen how many strikers Wolves sign this summer but if Jimenez is only good enough for a place on the bench he can still make an impact... According to WhoScored.com super-sub Jimenez had a direct hand is more goals as a substitute, with four goals and five assists, than any other player in the Portuguese top flight last season.
His international record is worth considering too, having scored 13 goals in 61 appearances for Mexico. He's on his way to Russia for the World Cup, joining the likes of Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez and Hirving Lozano in Mexico's attacking ranks.
Now in his 'peak' years, Jimenez will undoubtedly want to test himself in the Premier League (should Wolves complete the deal).
Will he suit Wolves' style of play?
Given his quality with the ball and his pacey, instinctive nature, Jimenez seems to be the ideal type of striker to suit Nuno's attacking philosophy at Molineux.
Willing to work hard and chase lost causes, his attitude and body language on the pitch will be a bonus for Wolves should he make the move.
His confidence with the ball and natural ability to take chances will also be beneficial, with Wolves still in need of a striker that can be relied upon to score goals.
His physical qualities and reactions seem to set him up well for the step up to the Premier League too and given the system at Wolves he could fit in well.
The big question is whether he'll be able to handle the step up to the top flight. It's fair to say that he wasn't prolific in La Liga with Atletico (although his goals-per-minutes ratio stands up well) and the gap between Portugal's Primeira Liga and the Premier League is a big one.
The positive for Wolves comes in the temporary nature of the move. Should he suit the style and perform well in the top tier of English football, the club could take up an option to make his move permanent.
What is Jimenez capable of?
Having racked up plenty of appearances over his career already, fans on the continent know plenty about Jimenez and what he brings to the pitch.
Take a look at the video below to get a glimpse of what the Mexico international is capable of.
Raul Jimenez in quotes
On his current goals and targets:
"Establish myself in Europe, be a starter, and at the national team level win something of importance."
On his desire to become a regular starter:
"The truth is I would always like to play 90 minutes, do it in every game,"
"I would always like to be on the field. Those decisions are the manager's to make."
On his growth at Benfica this season and his minutes on the pitch:
"It's been a bit of a recovery, because it's difficult to have a rhythm after six months of playing no more than 45 minutes."
"But I've been growing little by little, both physically and football [sic]."
On his thoughts of leaving Benfica in January:
"It never occurred to me to throw the towel on the floor, but I thought I would be on loan to have time to play."
"With the World Cup at the door, I thought about it a few months ago, but then I decided to stay in Benfica."
On playing in the World Cup:
"It's a great showcase,"
"You have all the games in front of you, there's two or three a day that the whole world is watching. If you do well, you have a great game; somebody sees it and you don't know what can happen after that."
"We are in a very competitive group and everything will be decided in detail, but we have the ability, with the help of the coach, to understand how each opponent plays."
"Four years ago, I might not have known what I was experiencing, and now I have more experience because I've been in the previous World Cup and also because of the experience of European football, so I feel good and I think it's up to me and I'm happy and enthusiastic for the World Cup, I'm happy to have been there and to have played."
"We've gotten better prepared, most of us here have been champions, whether in Mexico or in Europe, and we've got a good base, we're doing things better and it helps us grow,"
"It's going to be a very difficult group, opening up to the current world champion is not easy either but we have the conditions to do it,"
On the Premier League (from 2017):
"The Premier League is a great league, but you have to wait."
"I don't close any doors and we'll see what happens. I'm still at Benfica. Now, I'm going to have a good vacation then go back to work with everything."
On his time at Atletico Madrid:
"It was a year that I took as a great learning, as that great opportunity that gave me a very important club in Spain to come to Europe, I would have liked to play more."
On proving people wrong and becoming a professional footballer:
"In school, at recess, most of my classmates knew that I was in the school of America [CF America's academy] and I do not miss the one that says 'what are you doing there if you're never going to get there', but I know I can and that encourages you more to achieve it, it helps you to want to show that person that you can get it and dream about it."
"As a child, you do not measure what you can do. You do not know what can be true, the years go by and you see that you have to go for more, not be satisfied with what you already have but reach more goals,"
