Rafa Mir struggled for form and playing time under Nuno Espirito Santo and hasn’t made an appearance for Wolverhampton Wanderers since January 2018, but he’s making a statement of intent while on loan at SD Huesca that could salvage his future at Molineux.
The 23-year-old has found his scoring boots back in Spain and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent weeks – a stark contrast to his loan at Nottingham Forest being cut short after he failed to score in five months. So, what’s changed?
What went wrong at Wolves?
Mir has made four appearances in all competitions since joining from Valencia in January 2018 and is yet to score a single goal. The Spanish U21 international found himself behind Raul Jimenez in the pecking order under Nuno Espirito Santo, so he was loaned out to get more playing time.
He made 30 appearances for UD Las Palmas (July 23, 2018 – June 30, 2019), scoring seven goals with one assist. Mir was still considered surplus to requirements, so he joined Nottingham Forest (July 30, 2019 – January 13, 2020) and made 13 appearances in all competitions without finding the back of the net.
His poor form in the Championship saw his reputation in the toilet and only clubs in the second tier of Spanish football wanted to look at him. We had no desire to give him opportunities in the top-flight but couldn’t find a suitor willing to sign him permanently, so his future was up in the air.
Resurgence in Spain
Huesca eventually came calling and we settled for a long-term loan, with the hope that Mir would put himself in the shop window. He’s done exactly that and is showing exactly why we took the plunge on him in the first place.
In his first season at the Estadio El Alcoraz, Mir scored nine goals and made one assist in 18 Segunda Division appearances. In his second season, the 23-year-old has netted three times and made one assist in nine La Liga outings. He’s successfully made the step up and has attracted attention from Real Madrid, say reports.
Whether Mir has a future back at Wolves remains to be seen, but we should be keeping an eye on his form in the Spanish top flight.
In other news, how is Patrick Cutrone getting on at Fiorentina?
