Wolves fans have not yet seen the best of Pablo Sarabia – but the star today got an assist as Wanderers took on Vitoria SC in a pre-season friendly.
The Spaniard was a January arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
At the time, the deal was hailed as a masterstroke by many.
Wolves paid the French giants just £4.4 million, which is nothing in today’s market.
For that price, Wolves have brought in an experienced and versatile player, who is a proven performer in the final third.
Sarabia’s goal and assists numbers of the last five years or so have been impressive to say the least.
But we are yet to really see the best of Sarabia.
But fans will hoping he’ll come good in 2023/24 – and today he may have offered an early suggestion he could be key going forwards.
Pablo Sarabia gets an assist for Wolves in behind-closed-doors friendly with Vitoria
Wolves were in action earlier today against Portuguese outfit Vitoria, during the club’s warm weather training camp in Portugal.
The game was shorter than normal at 60 minutes, split into two 30-minute halves.
Wolves confirmed that they won the match 2-1, with Matheus Cunha and youngster Owen Farmer getting the goals.
Wolves have also released footage of Cunha’s goal, which starts with Matheus Nunes pinging a lovely ball out wide for Sarabia to chase down the right wing.
The Spaniard retrieved the ball and cut back inside on his strong left foot.
He then fired a low cross to the back post for an easy tap in for Cunha.
Not much should be read into these pre-season games of course. But one does wonder if we could really soon see the best of Sarabia.
Pablo Sarabia should have settled in now – he could thrive for Wolves this season
So far, Sarabia has made 13 appearances for Wolves.
Arguably, he hasn’t really made much of an impact in around half of those games.
But he’s obviously been settling in and getting used to the Premier League. Most players – even experienced ones – do need that transition period. Earlier this year he even admitted that he was still getting used to the division.
It’s very possible that Sarabia could shine for Wolves from the start of the new season.
Adama Traore’s contract has now expired and he seemingly won’t be agreeing fresh terms. Daniel Podence could also soon leave.
Podence departing would certainly see Sarabia become much more important for Wolves.
This pre-season will certainly be important for him as he seeks to gain an even better understanding of his teammates and how they all play.