Wolves officially announced the signing of Rafiki Said.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club officially announced that winger Rafiki Said has officially joined the team after successfully completing visa processing and international transfer procedures, becoming the first new signing since head coach Cesar Peschoto took office.

Rafiki Said, 26, has signed a three-year contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the club holding an option to extend for another year. The winger joined from Belgian First Division side Standard Liège, contributing eight goals last season and accumulating 36 goals over the past four seasons, demonstrating consistent scoring ability.

Rafiki Said primarily plays as a left winger, known for his outstanding creativity and individual dribbling ability. Whether he chooses to cut inside to create threats or break through along the sideline to deliver crosses, he is a formidable force on the wing. Since transferring from Troyes to Standard Liège last summer, he has earned widespread praise for his consistent and impressive performances in just one season.

Rafiki Said came through the youth academy of Brest in France and made his Ligue 1 debut in September 2021. He then joined Nîmes, where he scored double-digit goals in his only season there, and was teammates with Nasser Giga, now a Wolverhampton Wanderers defender.

After joining Troyes, Rafiki Said made his Comoros national team debut and has gradually become an important member of the team. To date, he has made 21 appearances for the national team, contributing 8 goals. Notably, in a recent international match against Equatorial Guinea, he also captained the team for the first time.

Last December, Rafiki Said played the full 90 minutes in all of Comoros's Africa Cup of Nations matches. Meanwhile, he also had an excellent season at Standard Liège, contributing 8 goals and 5 assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.

Wolves chairman Shi Yu said: "We have always been clear about which positions the team needs to improve. Strengthening the attacking speed and the attacking power on the flanks has always been the focus of our recruitment efforts, so strengthening the wing position is also an important part of our long-term plan."

“That’s why we’re so happy to have made this signing so early in the preseason . It’s great to have Rafiki Said join the team so early in the season. He will have plenty of time to train with the team, get familiar with the tactics, understand the coaching staff’s plans, and build chemistry with his teammates as soon as possible.”

"Both the coaching staff and the technical team highly recognize Rafiki Said's ability and potential. Currently, the team's preseason preparations are proceeding smoothly, and we believe he can quickly integrate into Cesar Pesciotto's playing philosophy and become an important member of the team's tactical system. At the same time, this signing is also in line with the club's long-term development plan to improve the squad structure and continuously enhance competitiveness."

Head coach César Pesciotto said of the signing: "I am very happy to welcome Rafiki Said. I think he is an outstanding player who can improve the overall level of the team. He has extremely fast speed and excellent individual dribbling ability, which are exactly the key qualities we hope to bring into the team. I believe that his arrival will not only enrich the team's attacking methods, but also further enhance team cohesion, making us stronger in future competitions."

“From beginning to end, he has shown a firm desire to join Wolves and to become a member of the team as soon as possible. He is not only a very professional player, but also maintains humility and hard work, and is eager to improve himself and help the team succeed. It is this positive and never-satisfied spirit that perfectly matches my expectations for the team culture, so his joining is of great significance to us.”

"From a physical standpoint, he possesses outstanding natural attributes, including a strong physique, excellent explosiveness, and the ability to maintain high levels of athleticism during intense matches. I believe he is fully capable of quickly integrating into the team and bringing positive influence to the team through his own strength and professional attitude, helping us to continuously improve, achieve more victories in the competition, and steadily move towards our established goals."

Technical Director Matt Jackson stated, "At the outset of the transfer process, Cesar Peschoto clearly outlined the type of players the team needed to strengthen. After a joint evaluation by the coaching staff and technical department, we conducted an in-depth analysis of several targets, and Rafiki Said quickly stood out due to his unique characteristics, becoming one of the club's key targets for acquisition. We are very satisfied with the successful completion of this signing."

“We believe he is a perfect fit for the team’s tactical philosophy. He maintains a positive and optimistic attitude both on and off the field, and he is very infectious. In fact, I started paying attention to his performance when I was in charge of Grasshopper Club. Considering the style of play we hope to build in the future, his physical strength, speed and explosiveness, as well as his characteristics in attack, are all in line with the team’s positioning of this type of player.”

"The team already has a strong squad, so we hope that every new signing can participate in the team's preparations as soon as possible. That's why we worked hard to complete the signing of Rafiki Said before heading to Portugal for training camp, so that he could train with the team from the first phase of preseason preparation and adapt to the pace more quickly."

Image source: Internet/Wolves official website