Ex-Wolves and Nottingham Forest man facing years in jail set to join new club | OneFootball

Former Wolves and Nottingham Forest striker Rafa Mir has found a new home despite the charges hanging over his head

Most of Spanish striker Rafa Mir's football has been played in his home nation, but he's had two very inauspicious stints in England during his career.

When he was just 20 years of age, Mir was snapped up by then-Championship outfit Wolves in January 2018, having showed prolific form for Valencia's B-team, but the then-youngster was barely given a chance at Molineux.

Rafa Mir flopped in England but found form in La Liga

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Having played just four times in his debut half-season in the Midlands, Mir was farmed back to Spain on loan with Las Palmas, and he spent the following season with both Nottingham Forest and Huesca - his stint at the former lasting just half a campaign, scoring from none of his 13 matches in all competitions for the Tricky Trees.

Wolves eventually sold Mir after three-and-a-half years on the books of the Old Gold, as after a 13-goal haul for Huesca in La Liga in 2020-21, the centre-forward was snapped up by Sevilla, who paid €16 million for his services, with a contract signed for six years until 2027.

Mir is meant to be going into the final year of that contract, but his life has taken somewhat of an unexpected turn - with his footballing career on a downward trajectory along with it.

Ex-Wolves & Nottm Forest striker Rafa Mir seals transfer as prison sentence looms

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Back in June, Mir was found guilty of sexual assault and bodily harm offences, that were alleged to have taken place in September 2024 at his home, and he was sentenced by the courts to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

An appeals process is underway though from Mir's side over the sentence, and whilst that is ongoing, which could initially take between four and five months, and then up to two years if it goes to the Supreme Court, the striker will not be imprisoned, although he is likely seen as persona non grata as a player in Spain's top flight.

And because of that, it looks as though the 29-year-old ex-EFL forward is set to continue his career away from the Iberian Peninsula, having had his Sevilla contract terminated due to the findings of the court - but he's not taken long to find a new club.

Mir is now poised to sign for Greek outfit Aris on a free transfer, and to do so, he had to be granted approval from the courts in Spain, with special provisions put in place, including the need to sign in every month at the Spanish consulate in his new footballing city of Thessaloniki.

And if Mir fails to comply with his restrictions, a European arrest warrant can be invoked due to the fact that Greece and Spain both follow EU rules.

Rafa Mir's Aris Thessaloniki move may not last too long

Mir can count himself quite fortunate to get a chance at a top flight club given what he has been charged with, although it's important to note that the Spanish forward has maintained his innocence even after the decision was made.

Aris finished fifth in the Greek Super League last year, losing out in the European play-off stages that are contested post-regular season, and they are seemingly handing a chance to Mir at a lesser competitive level than he's been playing at in La Liga in recent years.

Should Mir's appeal fail though at the first hurdle, then it's highly likely that he will have to serve the sentence that was handed to him back in Spain, and that would cut short his move to Greece.