Happy winter access
Because he was only a substitute at Paris Saint-Germain, Pablo Sarabia moved from the French capital to Wolverhampton Wanderers in January for 5 million euros. Although the change of air propelled the 30-year-old attacker from the Champions League ranks into the relegation battle, he seems very happy with his decision. “I feel like I’m in the prime of my career now,” Sarabia, who turned down other offers, told the agency “Telegraph”.
The Madrilene switched from Sevilla FC to PSG in the summer of 2019 for 18 million euros. Sarabia spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Sporting Lisbon – he played a total of 98 games for the Parisian star ensemble, in which he scored 22 goals and 12 assists. In the first half of the 2022/23 season, he mostly only had the joker role.
“It was great playing with Messi, Mbappe and Neymar and a very good experience, but for me the most important thing is that I feel important in the team,” Sarabia explained. He prefers “to be on another team to feel that togetherness, to be part of the team and family, rather than just a collection of individuals.”
He was no longer satisfied with his short playing times at the top French club. “In my career I have experienced many difficult moments, but now I want to enjoy the work,” stressed Sarabia. The 26-time Spanish international was allowed to play from the start in five of six matches for the “Wolves”. The club had strengthened themselves in the winter with six newcomers, some of them prominent, including midfielder João Gomes (22) from Copa Libertadores winner Flamengo Rio de Janeiro for 18.7 million euros.
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In Wolverhampton, Sarabia met coach Julen Lopetegui, whom he first met with his country’s U21 youth team. The 56-year-old’s confidence was one of the reasons why the professional ignored supposedly more lucrative offers from West Ham, Sevilla and Real Sociedad. “When he called me it was very important because I needed the coach’s trust. We’ve had a relationship with each other for a long time. He’s a very good coach and I like his DNA – the way he trains and the things he does. For that reason I was very excited to come here,” said Sarabia, who believes he has “a very good time”.
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