Words by Musings from Molineux – you can follow him on X here
It’s been a while. For those who have followed since I popped up within the Wolves fan content stream about 7 years ago, blogs and writing were my currency. I’ve since evolved somewhat into what the kids might term a ‘tactico’ – derogatory term from what I’ve seen – but the written word was and always has been my MO.
There are genuinely any number of topics you could pick up the pen on with Wolves right now. Gary O’Neil. Jeff Shi. Cunha and RAN scrapping. Vitor Pereira. Corner kicks even. But it wouldn’t really encapsulate the mood around the club. The whole essence of what it means to be a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers is perhaps the most pertinent of all. I appreciate I’m probably not speaking on behalf of all of you, but this really feels like a crunch point within the modern history of the club.
7 consecutive seasons we’ve been in the Premier League now. For context, the last time we had a spell longer was between 1967 to 1976. Perhaps there should be some sense of gratitude about that fact. I shouldn’t need to recall all of the detail of what’s happened in that time, but it can be summed up in the virtuous cycle of managers we’ve managed to work through. Of course, the moment we stepped away from the Mendes carousel and didn’t go hell for leather with the rebuild, we’ve found our way back into his tan-stained, pound note-lined, designer-suited arms.
At which point it’s worth pondering – what’s this all for? Earlier this week I shared a Reuters article which highlighted some of the details around the inception of Fosun’s interest and subsequent purchase of the club. The line that stood out to me was that ‘investing and trading in players is the most lucrative part of business in the football industry.’
Effectively, the ownership is in the game of manipulating the transfer market to their own financial gain. And of course, who better to be in cahoots with than Jorge Mendes, six-time winner of the heavily coveted Globe Soccer Awards ‘Agent of the Year’. Excuse me while I vomit into this conveniently-placed bucket next to me. Naturally, this has been proclaimed as the best option for us as we try to navigate away from the nether regions of the Premier League. And why wouldn’t we believe that? This is the man who brought us the messianic figure of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Joao Moutinho. Is it a stretch to say Mendes was just as responsible for our successive 7th placed finishes and run to the Europa League quarter-finals as the manager himself? We are beholden to our resources, as Gary O’Neil has been at pains to point out. He’s the man who pushed for Julen Lopetegui to rescue us from a similar situation that we find ourselves in now, following Bruno Lage’s ultimately unsuccessful tenure. Oh yeah, he was a Mendes guy too, lest we forget. As was Matheus Nunes. Goncalo Guedes. Joao Teixeira. Silvio. Ola John.
(I’m sure someone will check the validity of this, but frankly a footballer in Portugal probably can’t have some ‘Me Time’ without Uncle Jorge checking what kind of material they’re indulging in.)
Hopefully you see where I’m going with this, but if not I’ll continue. It is without question that we would not be where we are without his intervention. But as we climb the ladder, the pool of Mendes talent grows smaller and their ability to impact the highest level reduces. Wolves in theory feature somewhere near the top of the Mendes food chain, especially as an importer market for emerging Portuguese talent, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that he’s well involved in operations with the likes of Chelsea, Man United, Atletico Madrid and more recently, Saudi Arabia. Where there is cash, there is Mendes.
So we have a money-hungry agent and a multi-billion pound business with a history of successful investments. And if that were the measure, Wolverhampton Wanderers would be another on the list. It’s inarguable, that the club is worth millions more than at the point of purchase. It’s also inarguable though, that there is a very clear conflict of interests that could present itself at any point.
Let’s rewind to the start of last season. Matt Hobbs has had some time in the Sporting Director seat, presiding over a successful January transfer window in conjunction with Lopetegui/Mendes to steer us to safety. PSR and FFP then have their way with us. Perhaps we should be grateful for him throwing us a bone (Matt Doherty) in the early part of the summer. Maybe even the sale of Ratheus Nunes (can’t take credit for that moniker, but agents would never advise a client to kick up a fuss in the name of a move up the chain, would they?). Where there isn’t cash, there is no Mendes, as the business we did last summer would no doubt evidence (again, feel free to verify I don’t spend my spare time checking who is represented by whom, I have a much sadder existence based around non-penalty xG and aerial duel win percentages).
Now we don’t need to delve into the whys and wherefores of last summer, but isn’t it convenient that a Mendes-linked man deserts us and the club suddenly decide to allow Hobbs full control of the recruitment procedure for the new Head Coach? As well as the subsequent trolley dash once the Nunes money was made available? FFP/PSR issues notwithstanding, surely this is exactly the point at which such a relationship would prove most useful? Again, I won’t bore you with the details, but the January and summer transfer windows speak for themselves.
At which point we find ourselves raising the alarm once again. The Gestifute motif has been beamed up into the sky and riding in to our rescue is Vitor Pereira, a man whose CV is a veritable Who’s Who of Mendes Fingers In A Pie. That magical money pot has been conveniently sourced as we look to right the wrongs of the summer dealings in the name of PL survival, which as we know isn’t quite the formality it should be for a club as established as ours.
Now, if this was an answer to an exam question, I’d have been scolded for not referencing it throughout the piece but it is worth pondering now. Say we spend some money in January and find ourselves clear of relegation with a manager who hasn’t seen out beyond a season in his last four managerial positions. Say we shithouse our way through another 6 months of football and manage to clump together enough points to keep us above some of the worst Premier League teams in recent memory. Say we then sell a couple of our stellar talents to recoup some cash and ‘replace’ them – very much in inverted commas. Say the manager bemoans a lack of spending and contrives to not go beyond his annual departure of AN Other FC. Then what? Well we know what happens then, out goes the call and in swoops the ‘saviour’.
Suffice to say, it’s not in Fosun’s interest to implement a ‘proper’ football structure at the football club. I mean what self-respecting operation vetoes moves for a desperately needed centre-back upgrade but sanctions the purchase of a Brazilian international midfielder approaching his sell-by date from his native land, stifling the development of the promising players already in situ? I’ll give you a clue – their name starts with W and ends with S.
Yes, it’s the w****rs running Wolverhampton Wanderers. Everything has already been said that needs saying regarding the ride the fans have been taken on since the summer. And say what you like about Gary O’Neil and Matt Hobbs, but I’d take them every day of the week over the decision makers ruling the roost and 500 times on a Sunday.
Now I’m sure we’re all incredibly excited about how compact we’re going to be and how well we’re going to defend set pieces from January onwards, but forgive me for not geeing myself up for it. Those of you who ‘just want to see us win’ may get your wish, but this isn’t the game I was brought up on and fell in love with. It’s not the Wolves I grew up with and dedicated an obscene amount of time to (watching games twice over). Football is to be enjoyed and given we’re as far away from cracking Europe as we were when I was watching Joey Gudjonsson get dragged in THAT Leicester game in 2003, there has to be a trade-off in terms of entertainment for the price we’re paying to watch this team now. But whoopee-doo another season in the godforsaken Premier League. Yay.
You’ll no doubt see me pontificating about Mr Pereira’s system and how Jean-Ricner Bellegarde can shine in it. That’s me, I honestly can’t help it. But know the journey that we’re on, because it always involves us fans coming at the bottom of the priority list.
The majority of this piece is conjecture and I’m by no means ITK on anything at the club. If you disagree, happy to have that debate.