Wolves’ January signing of Pablo Sarabia looks to have been a masterclass by Julen Lopetegui, as the Spaniard has quickly established himself as an important member of the squad at Molineux.

How has Pablo Sarabia performed at Wolves?

Wolves brought in the 30-year-old winger from PSG in a deal worth just £4.4m in January as he continued to struggle for game time with Les Parisiens, which is perhaps unsurprising when you consider the quality on offer in Christophe Galtier’s attack.

That said, he is still a highly-talented player with Thomas Tuchel singing his praises during the German’s time with the French giants.

He said: “He’s really impressive. He runs well, with and without a ball. His game without the ball is a great example. He plays with a lot of intensity and does not stop [working] defensively.”

Last season saw the Spain international spend time on loan with Sporting Lisbon where he was a huge success, notching a remarkable 21 goals and ten assists in just 45 appearances for Ruben Amorim’s side.

Given Wolves’ struggles in front of goal so far this season, which sees them ranked as the joint-lowest scorers in the division, adding quality in the final third was always going to be a priority for Lopetegui in the January window, and he appears to have done just that.

The former Sevilla man scored his first goal for the club in the 1-1 draw with Fulham last week, although he couldn’t follow that up, having “faded badly” and been “frustrating” – as per Steve Madeley – in the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool in midweek and was duly subbed at half time.

However, when considering the bigger picture, there is no doubt that he has made a big impact on Wolves’ threat in the final third, despite making just six appearances thus far. Indeed, no player at Molineux has created more than his seven chances since his league debut.

WhoScored further ranks him third for shots and joint-second for key passes per game in the Premier League out of anyone in Wolves’ squad, which emphasises just how profound an impact he has had in his limited time in England.

If Sarabia can play a big part in keeping Wolves in the Premier League, the £4.4m fee will certainly prove to be a bargain, but it already looked to be a masterclass when you consider the winger’s market value.

Transfermarkt still values the 30-year-old at €20m (£18m), so if he were to leave Molineux for any reason before his contract expires, it seems clear that the Old Gold will be able to make a profit on him.

Therefore, Lopetegui deserves a lot of credit for bringing in Sarabia for such a bargain fee, and if the 30-year-old can continue his fine start to life in the Midlands, then he will quickly establish himself as a great transfer from a footballing perspective as well as a financial one.