Why Bebe Would Be A Good Signing For Wolves
Having famously flopped at Manchester United before embarking on an unremarkable subsequent career, Portuguese winger Bebe is now the subject of interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 26-year-old plays for Eibar in Spain’s La Liga, though Wolves are apparently in talks to bring him to the Midlands in a £1million deal. Man United paid £7.4million for Bebe back in 2010 to bring him from Vitoria Guimaraes. He made no significant impression at Old Trafford and was reduced to just 74 minutes of Premier League football.
Following loans at Besiktas, Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira Bebe eventually signed for Benfica in 2014 in a deal worth £2.4million. Further loans followed at Cordoba and Ray Vallecano before he was sold by the Portuguese giants to his current club Eibar.
So, his transfer fees of £7.4million, £2.4million, and now around £1million show a clear regression in terms of his market value. What will he be considered to be worth in a year’s time? You wonder! However that doesn’t tell the whole story in all fairness.
Bebe has been rather ambitious, plying his trade at some top clubs in Europe’s best leagues and although he has fallen short at that level, he could be ideal for the Championship. For a winger, Bebe is a big unit and would handle the rough and tumble of this league more than most other foreign imports.
In 20 games in Spain’s top division last season, Bebe managed 3 goals and 3 assists from out wide, being directly involved in a goal for Eibar every 113 minutes. In theory, that could come down to every 100 minutes or so in the Championship, which would be extremely valuable to the Wolves.
The other thing to consider here is his nationality. True, Wolves don’t want to put all their eggs into one Iberian Peninsula-shaped basket, but the fact that the coach is Portuguese and so are several highly thought of first team players suggests that the enigmatic winger might settle in quickly and feel comfortable from day one.
At 26 years of age, Bebe is not past his best but perhaps simply needs to find his level. Should he manage to keep fit next season and remain confident, he could be dangerous to the Championship full-backs and would be an exciting signing for the West Midlands club. Hopefully, Bebe raises his game and catches everyone’s attention once again.