Beware the wolf in sleep clothing

WOLVES striker Raul Jimenez hopes to catch West Ham napping today to show them just what they missed.

The Mexican laughed off claims he once scuppered a move to the London club by oversleeping.

Jimenez was lined up to join West Ham from Atletico Madrid three years ago but missed his flight and failed to turn up for his medical.

The 27-year-old denies his move to the capital was dashed because he was in the land of nod.

“No, no, I don’t know why anyone said that,” he said. “The way it was, was that one day I had a proposal from West Ham and the next day Benfica, and that was it.

“Benfica wanted to buy me but West Ham was a loan deal. So that was the thing. It wasn’t anything to do with sleep.”

Whatever the reason, then-Hammers manager Slaven Bilic missed out and Jimenez, already a double title winner with Club America in Mexico, ended up at Benfica, where he clinched back-to-back league titles.

Jimenez got off to a flyer after joining Wolves on loan in the summer, scoring on his debut in their opening 2-2 home draw against Everton.

He has a staggering three million Twitter followers and says he is a happy man in the West Midlands after finding a restaurant that serves up his favourite beef tacos – even though he is banned from eating them when he returns home.

“The thing I miss most is the food, but my favourite dish is a bit of a problem,” he said.

“All the cows in Mexico have a substance in them, clenbuterol, which would give you problems with doping. It would give a positive test.

“I can eat it in the US, Canada, Europe but not in Mexico and South America, so I’ve found a restaurant here which is good. I’m happy here. Wolves wasn’t a place I knew anything about, to be honest. I have always been in and around big cities – Mexico City, Madrid, Lisbon – so now I’m here it’s a new experience but I like it. I’m a ‘home’ guy. I find it comfortable.

“I’m prepared for the challenges of the Premier League. I want to prove myself and make great things happen for Wolves.”

Today will be the first time Jimenez has ventured inside the London Stadium, despite living opposite it six years ago in the athletes’ village as Mexico’s footballers won 2012 Olympic gold.

“We played in Newcastle, then Wembley,” said Jimenez. “It was amazing.”