Matt Maher: Moving away from Jorge Mendes is no bad thing for Wolves
Proof will ultimately be in the doing, yet news Wolves want to ease their dependence on Jorge Mendes can only be considered a good thing.
There is no question in the early years Fosun’s ties with Mendes’ Gestifute agency gave Wolves access to players of which rival clubs could only dream, accelerating a transformation from Championship also-rans to top half Premier League challengers.
Yet more recently the relationship has increasingly become one of diminishing returns. Goncalo Guedes and – if we are being blunt – Matheus Nunes are two signings who have fallen some way short of expectations.
That’s before you factor in the inevitable conflicts of interest which have arisen. Last autumn Mendes helped facilitate Unai Emery’s move to Villa at a time Wolves’ own managerial search was floundering. This week, meanwhile, the Express & Star revealed how Mendes pushed alternatives to Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina during the January transfer window. Both players have been key to the club’s survival in the Premier League.
