da spicy bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
da dobrowin： Wolverhampton Wanderers’ rise over the last 18 or so months has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Before Fosun’s ownership took charge of the club and appointed Portuguese manager Nuno Santo, they had dipped their toes into League One and were suffering from midtable obscurity in the Championship ever since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012.
In their first season back, Europa League qualification was achieved with a seventh-place finish and this term, the west Midlanders have soared into the knockout stages whilst keeping up their appearances in the top-flight as they currently sit sixth.
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The club were able to attract big names such as Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, who have won international championships with Portugal while club stalwarts Matt Doherty and captain Conor Coady have come on leaps and bounds under the stewardship of the shrewd Nuno.
Though, the durability, skillset and prowess that Raul Jimenez possesses must be spotlighted most. His 2019 has been that emphatic and that impressive, it was actually a shock not to see him in the Ballon d’Or reckoning.
That’s not to say he should be rivalling Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk for the award directly, but he should have at least made the standings in some form.
As of the start of December, the 28-year-old has played 61 games for club and country, across competitions such as the Premier League, Europa League and the Gold Cup.
Jimenez has contributed to 47 goals in that run – 33 scored by himself, 14 assists – which is hugely impressive considering he only ventured into English football at the start of last season, so to put up such insane figures, kickstarted within the first six months in the Midlands, deserves huge credit.
Messi clinched his sixth Ballon d’Or award by scoring 54 times for club and country, so it’s easy to see why he’s been selected this year, but there can’t be many outside the elite three or four names – Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, etc. – that are putting up numbers like this.
The Mexican striker is only playing for Wolves too, so had he featured in the Champions League in 2019, you’d imagine his credentials would be more substantial, but then again, he’s only making a mockery of what is put in front of him, and that’s all he can do.
Jimenez who is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt has, at the very least, won November’s PFA fans Player of the Month award.
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In other news, Nuno’s project has seen his stock rise dramatically after a huge turnaround in fortunes under the Portuguese boss….