It’s getting crowded in the Colorado Rapids’ midfield, but to acquire Premier League talent, it’s an area of the field the front office is willing to help carve out space for.

The Colorado Rapids announced Monday the team had acquired Connor Ronan from English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. The deal is for four seasons with an option of a fifth year. The transfer fee is $619,000 for Colorado to permanently acquire the Irish international midfielder, according to Liam Keen of the Express and Star in England.

“Connor is a highly technical and versatile midfielder who can play in both deep-lying and box-to-box midfield roles,” Rapids general manager Pádraig Smith said in a team statement. “He brings a high level of energy and ability to cover a lot of ground defensively, but also exceptional vision and passing qualities. We’re excited to add a player of his talent.”

Ronan, 24, had a number of loans during his time at Wolverhampton, including a breakout season at St. Mirren in Scotland where he was the Player of the Year for 2021-22 as he scored eight goals in 30 appearances. He also went on loan to Blackpool, Walsall Portsmouth in England, plus stints in Slovakia and Switzerland.

Over his nine seasons with the Wolves since he joined the team’s academy as a 16-year-old, he made eight senior team appearances. He made his English Premier League debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in November.

Ronan is the fourth player from Wolves to play for Colorado, joining captain Jack Price, Joe Mason and Kevin Doyle.

Ronan will be the 10th midfielder on the Rapids.

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