Jonny Castro: The experts' take on Wolves' latest signing

We spoke with freelance Spanish football writer Simon Harrison and Alex Kirkland of The Spanish Football Podcast to get a proper take on the defender.

See what they had to say below...

Castro has signed up at Wolves on-loan, what kind of player can fans expect to see?

Kirkland: He’s a reliable, solid, hard-working, versatile defender.

Perhaps he doesn’t get the headlines, but there have been few more consistent full-backs than him in LaLiga in recent years.

Harrison: Wolves can expect to see a reliable, consistent performer in Jonny.

He has been extremely focused and has rarely made a mistake over the last couple of years at Celta, and he is a very versatile defender too.

For Celta, he has featured almost exclusively as a left back across LaLiga and Europa League football, but he would be able to feature as a wide central defender in a three, or even at right back without too much fuss.

He might not catch the eye for what he does further up the field, but in terms of snuffing out threats, keeping a close eye on his man and covering, he is extremely good.

Do you think he's ready to step up to the Premier League stage after impressing at Celta Vigo, and why?

Kirkland: I think he’s made for the Premier League.

He’s actually quite an “English-style” defender in terms of his attributes.

Celta have been a mid-table (and before that top half) LaLiga side in recent years, so there’s no reason why he can’t thrive in the Premier League.

Harrison: In all honesty, Jonny would have been ready to immediately take the step up and play for Atletico Madrid this season.

The explosion of Lucas Hernandez at left back for Atleti and France over the last few months wouldn't have helped his cause, and the renewal of veteran right back Juanfran's contract means that a loan deal has made sense for all parties this summer.

He is perfectly capable of playing for one of the bigger teams in Spain and featuring in big competitions such as the Europa League and the Champions League, having experienced the former already at Celta and gone a long distance in one particular European run.

I've watched him for both Celta and Spain U21 over the last couple of years and there's nothing really to dislike about him, he's ready to kick on and show what he can do to a bigger audience.

What are Jonny's biggest strengths and weaknesses?

Kirkland: His main strengths are his consistency and his work ethic.

Perhaps he’s not the most attacking full-back, but he’s more than capable of getting up and down the pitch and has decent end product.

Harrison: His strengths would lie in his consistency.

Over the last couple of campaigns, it's hard to think of any big errors or poor performances, he is always a reliable man to turn to.

For Spain U21, he was used at left back to make sure that their attacking options and wide men had a lot more freedom to get forward and affect the game in the final third, safe in the knowledge that Jonny balanced things out nicely and could tuck in and make up a three at the back when needed.

In terms of weakness, he isn't the most offensive of full backs, he won't be haring the length of the field in the mould of the modern wing back, but that isn't to say that he can't pop up and offer himself as an option further forward - it just isn't the best facet of his game.

Obviously, he's signed permanently with Atletico Madrid, but could you see him signing permanently at Wolves in the future if he impresses?

Kirkland: I suppose his future depends on how he performs.

There’s serious competition at full-back at Atleti at the moment with the likes of Filipe Luis and Lucas Hernández who shone at the World Cup.

But if he grows as a player in England, I’m sure Atleti would look to bring him back at some stage.

Harrison: To be honest, I really can't see him signing permanently with Wolves.

Atleti currently have interesting options at full back. At left back, Filipe Luis and Lucas Hernandez at brilliant options.

At right back, they've got Sime Vrsaljko and then renewed Juanfran's contract for a further year.

Juanfran and Filipe Luis aren't getting any younger, making Jonny the perfect squad player to come in next season and cover both areas, with Juanfran presumably set to move on or retire.

If Stefan Savic were to leave the club, which is often rumoured, then Lucas Hernandez could be used as another central defender, leaving Jonny to play back up to Filipe Luis.

Atleti have bought him due to his obvious ability and potential, but they don't want him to stagnate while they have other options, making Wolves a great place to get minutes under his belt and return to Spain a better player.

He seems like quite a versatile player, where is Jonny Castro best utilised in your opinion?

Kirkland: He is a really versatile defender, he’s played across the back four for Celta over the years although he was regularly picked at left-back last season.

I think he’s certainly more suited to full-back than centre-back.

Harrison: I have rarely seen Jonny used away from playing as a left back in a back four, so that has to be considered his specialism at present.

Given Wolves' tactics last season, I can't imagine that he would offer the offensive output that might be expected from one of Nuno's wing backs, but he wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb either, he'd do that job competently without any fireworks.

He could feature as a wide central defender, I'd say, should Wolves continue with their central defensive three for the foreseeable future, that could be a good role that he wouldn't have a problem adjusting to.

Who would you compare Jonny to in world football right now? Do you think he has the ability to become a star?

Kirkland: As I say, maybe he lacks that star quality or attacking talent that tends to make a player stand out, especially at full-back, but that means it’s easy to overlook what a consistent performer and quality defender he is.

He has featured regularly for Spain at youth level and now his next objective must be getting into the senior squad.

Harrison: In terms of no-nonsense, reliability and versatility, I guess that he could be likened to a player like Cesar Azpilicueta, but I don't really like comparing names, to be honest.

Everyone has their individual positives and negatives.

I'm sure that he will have no problem making a bigger name for himself in England over this season, given that he is already a very well-respected player in Spain with plenty of experience.

You can follow Simon and Alex on Twitter by searching for @Simonhfootball and @Alexkirkland.