Simon Jordan believes new Brexit rules will stop Wolverhampton Wanderers hiring ex-Benfica manager Bruno Lage as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement, while speaking to talkSPORT (26 May, 12:00pm).
As Jordan himself says, the rules are simple.
If an EU-based coach wants to earn a living in England, he must have worked in a top league either for two consecutive years, or during three of the previous five.
And, according to the Mail, Bruno Lage just does not meet this criteria.
The 45-year-old spent a mere 15 months in charge of Benfica between January 2019 and June 2020, and has been out of work since leaving the Estadio da Luz.
Wolves will be hoping that the time Lage spent as an assistant to Carlos Carvalhal at Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday will work in his favour but the signs don’t look good.
“They can’t land him without getting work permit clearance,” said Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner.
“So they can’t take him on and have a problem retrospectively. They can get a verbal agreement with him but they cant employ him under UK law,” said Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner.
“So the bottom line is, they won’t do that.
“The rules are very simple,” Jordan added. “You manage in a top division for three years, you can be employed in this country.”
According to the Mail, Lage is one of the clear frontrunners to take Nuno’s place in the Molineux hot seat. He even flew into England for talks with Wolves earlier this week.
Unsurprisingly, the attack-minded tactician, who led a Joao Felix-inspired Benfica side to Primeira Liga glory in 2019, is another member of the Jorge Mendes stable.
“Now, a football club wants to push back and say they want dispensation cause (Lage) has worked for Wednesday and Swansea and I don’t think that’s right,” Jordan said.
“Sorry Jorge, with all due respect, this guy don’t qualify.”
Interestingly, Lage was in consideration for the Aston Villa job back in 2018, when work permit regulations weren’t quite so stringent.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
