Jorge Mendes remains arguably the most influential agent in world football but that doesn’t necessarily mean Wolves will benefit from his influence.
Stan Collymore has stated on Twitter that Wolves will never be able to push on as long as super-agent Jorge Mendes is using the club as a platform to pedal his players.
Chinese conglomerate Fosun International promised to lead Wolves back to the promised land of the Premier League when they took control at Molineux in the summer but so far they look more likely to lead the club into League One.
As it stands, Wolves are just two points above the bottom three thanks to the gradual impact made by new manager Paul Lambert, the experienced lower league gaffer replacing Walter Zenga after an alarming slide down the table that obliterated any optimism at the start of the campaign.
Central to their season-destroying run has been the non-existent impact of a number of players brought to the Midlands from Portugal due to the owner’s close ties with notorious agent Mendes who represents, amongst others, Radamel Falcao, David De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Veteran super-agent Jon Smith told talkSPORT earlier in the year that the Portuguese was essentially making Wolves dance to his own rhythm due to his huge influence in the transfer market.
And Collymore insists that Wolves have no chance of progress as long as they are being used as a puppet for Mendes’ own ends.
On the flipside, the signing of Helder Costa, Wolves’ most dangerous attacking player, is one such example of the positive benefits a relationship with one of football’s most powerful man can provide.
However, underperforming imports such as Silvio, Joao Teixeira and club-record signing Ivan Cavaleiro, all with links to a Portuguese market monopolised by Mendes, highlight the potential downsides too.
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