Wolves could sign ‘spectacular’ player very similar to Barcelona’s Raphinha

Follow us on Google Discover

Wolves could bring Dario Osorio to the Premier League in January and the Chile international has a lot in common with Barcelona’s former Leeds United talisman Raphinha, coach Raul Toro tells RedGol.

Osorio is hardly a household name in Wolverhampton. But that could be about to change; one of the most exciting young forwards in the whole of South America potentially set to bring his unique brand of sparkling footwork and long-range shooting to Molineux during the January transfer window.

Wolves, per En Cancha, were ‘very close’ to signing Osorio over the summer. Mathew Hobbs, the club’s chief scout and head of recruitment, has already travelled across the Atlantic to conduct negotiations with Universidad de Chile; the 18-year-old’s current employers.

And with Chile’s so-called ‘golden generation’ now a thing of the past – the 2015 and 2016 Copa America winners missing out on the Qatar World Cup – Toro believes there is no one in the country quite as talented as Osorio right now.

Wolves target Dario Osorio ‘very similar to Raphinha

“One thinks that it would have been good if this kid appeared when the golden generation was at its peak,” muses Toro, the former Audax Italiano boss. “It would have been spectacular. But it is not like that and we must settle for it.

“Dario Osorio sooner or later is going to be a craque (top player). (But) he has a long way to go. He scores beautiful goals but does not know how to score ugly goals.

“I find him very similar to Raphinha; Barcelona’s Brazilian. He is the jewel of Chilean soccer. At any moment, he can score a goal or provide an assist. In Chilean football, there is no one like him.”

Osorio impressed against England’s U20s last week, standing out a mile despite an eventual 3-0 defeat to the Young Lions. And the teenager, Toro says, has everything in his power to follow in the footsteps of two of the greatest Chilean footballers of all time; Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal.

“Alexis and Vidal; those kids went from the Under20s to the senior team and they were extraordinary,” Toro adds. I think the same thing is going to happen with this kid.”