With it looking increasingly likely that the Raul Jimenez era at Wolves is coming to an end, thoughts turn to what the Jimenez era at Fulham will look like.
In the modern Premier League era, the squad number of a top player can quickly prove iconic. So, if his move is confirmed in the next few days, what number is the Mexican striker likely to take?
All logic should point to number 9. But there is one problem. That number is currently held by Alexsandar Mitrović who, of course, is likely to soon vacate it in order to ply his trade in Saudi Arabia.
The issue could be one of timing but there appears to growing momentum behind the Mitrović move and it would not be a surprise to hear a co-ordinated announcement.
Will Raul Jimenez wear number 9?
That would allow Jimenez to continue with the number that he has been most associated with throughout his career.
He has worn it throughout his Premier League adventure with Wolves and routinely turns out to be wearing the same for his national side. It was also the number he wore at Benfica during a successful four-year spell in Portugal.
Should the Mitrović deal hit any snags or delays, perhaps Jiminez fancies a new number for this next phase of his career?
The only other high-profile number he has previously been associated with is 11. But, at Fulham, that is currently allocated to French midfielder Anthony Knockaert.
Raúl Jiménez to Fulham, here we go! It’s all agreed between the two clubs, just waiting to exchange and sign all the documents this week ⚪️⚫️🇲🇽
Fee around £5.5m fixed, personal terms to be sealed on Monday then medical.
Exclusive story, confirmed. ✔️ pic.twitter.com/gnY67ZDRN3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 23, 2023
How about a zany number such as 91 in a nod to the year of his birth? Or, as others have occasionally done, deriving the number 9 from a double-digit combination that is available within the Fulham squad list.
At present, the numbers 18, 36 and 45 are all viable options!
The current Fulham squad list also shows the number 5 as available and there is the possibility of such a left-field choice making sense.
Fulham would represent the fifth senior club of Jimenez’s professional career.
