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Conor Coady wants Raul Jimenez to stay at Wolves for 'many years'

Skipper Conor Coady has hailed top scorer Raul Jimenez as a ‘huge asset’ to Wolves – and wants him to stay for many more years.

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By scoring a sublime winner at Tottenham on Sunday, Jimenez made it 13 goals for the season in the Premier League – equalling the amount he ended last term on – among the 22 he has notched in all competitions this term.

Snapped up for a club-record £32million last summer after an impressive loan spell from Benfica, the 28-year-old Mexican has been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and former home Atletico Madrid recently.

But Coady praised Jimenez’s commitment to the cause as he said: “He improves his all-round game. He’s a fantastic footballer and a huge asset for the club.

“We want to keep him here for many years.

“He’s such a good professional, and he wants to work hard every single day.

“He works on his game every day, to improve.

“He’s a sensational footballer. To have him at this club is brilliant, and hopefully we can keep him for many years.”

Jimenez’s goals have played a massive part in Wolves’ success on two fronts so far this term – in the Premier League, and the Europa League.

They are sixth in the top-flight table and only three points off fourth-placed Chelsea.

In the Europa, meanwhile, they are in the last 16 – a double-header against Greek outfit Olympiacos getting underway next week.

Coady insists it is a special time – but the game-by-game approach will be stuck to, with Brighton at Molineux on Saturday the focus above anything else.

“It’s an amazing time for the club, it really is. It’s huge, but we don’t look past Brighton,” he said.

“We’ve got a week to recover, which is nice as we don’t often get that, and make sure we’re ready.

“People may laugh and tell us different things but, honestly, we’ve done it for three years under the manager, so that will never ever change.

“We’re very proud to be through to the last 16 of the Europa League, but it’s important we keep going.”

Coady added on the team spirit: “The manager instils that into the club.

“The lads are brilliant. They’re a pleasure to play with, and I’m proud to walk out with them every single day.

“We trust each other massively. We spend so much time together.

“The lads all want to spend time together and the mentality is right.”