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‘Agreed’ – Midfield powerhouse Munesti seals return to France; joins Paris FC on loan
By Agencies
Wolverhampton Wanderers have reached an agreement with Paris FC to let Zimbabwean midfielder Marshall Munetsi leave on loan for the rest of the season.
The Zimbabwe international is set to join promoted Ligue 1 side on loan. Stéphane Gilli’s Parisiens were scouring the market for a physical box-to-box midfielder, and they seem to have found their man.
Munetsi’s salary will be paid in full by the Ligue 1 outfit, who will also shell out on a loan fee.
The player is also set to benefit from a loan move abroad given his playing time has decreased following the appointment of Rob Edwards as Wolves head coach.
Munetsi has been absent since December 3, courtesy of a calf injury that he sustained against Nottingham Forest.
In his absence, Wolves have vastly improved under Rob Edwards, putting together a four-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, and the 29-year-old now finds himself down the pecking order.
Signed for around £17.5 million from Stade de Reims last winter by the coach Victor Pereira, Munetsi made a strong first impression and gained a reputation as a midfield powerhouse.
However, it quickly became apparent that the Zimbabwe international’s main strengths were his physical attributes, and that his technical ability perhaps did not meet the standard required in the Premier League.
Pereira was well aware of Munetsi’s shortcomings but he valued the midfielder’s stamina and perseverance. As a result, Munetsi was often named in Pereira’s starting lineups.
After Wolves’ 1-1 draw away at Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season, Pereira told Birmingham World: “Munetsi, I tell you… when we look for footballers, technique is one thing, but football is not only about technique. Football is about tactical spirit, physicality; Munetsi is like an animal. Running and running and running.
“If he plays five minutes, he gives us everything. If he plays 90 minutes or he plays extra time, I know what I can expect from him. For us, this is the kind of player – a very honest player giving everything for the club – that we need to support.”
Then, when asked whether Munetsi exudes the personality and identity Pereira wanted from his Wolves side as a whole, the manager added: “Of course, of course. We need it.
“I like to see good football, I enjoy football. But, I enjoy also the spirit. When they go there and they fight and I go to the fight with this kind of player. Today, we went to the fight with fighters, with ambition, personality and just missing the last minute. But it’s football.”