Is Mendes still useful?

[Sussex Wolf]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

 

[Poztin]

I’m fairly certain Ait Nouri wouldn’t be with us without some Jorge dabbling…

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I’m fairly certain Ait Nouri wouldn’t be with us without some Jorge dabbling…

Ok, Sa and RAN.

I’ll raise you a Jota sale to Liverpool which leaves us getting diddly squat for years…

and a Silva deal for 30m, a large portion of which ends up with Mendes…

and a Semedo deal which was hardly a bargain, even if I think he’s a good player…

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

He's nowhere near as useful anymore but that's not really his fault.

We aren't spending money so what can he do? He only deals with what we can do. On paper Trincao looked a good signing, Semedo did as well. Even Vitinha is clearly a good player. Admittedly the Silva one is dodgy in my opinion.

If we had the funds available I'm sure we'd have Palhinha and Nunes in, maybe even Fabio Viera?

However, there's not much he can do when we aren't willing to spend like we used to because despite the tie in with Fosun, his reputation hinges on doing right by his players so they will always be the priority (as they should be as well, he's an agent).

I would question whether we need to be with him now though when we aren't in a position to get the next big stars that he has at his disposal. As a mid-table Premier League club we should be able to attract decent players in ourselves.

 

[KBWWFC]

Our last non-mendes signings are the likes of Dendoncker and Hwang.

I think that answers the question.

 

[AndyY]

Traore would not have gone to Barcelona either. Whether that was a good thing for Wolves or the player is open to question, though.
Trincao possibly would not have come to Wolves. Again, not a success but you don’t know unless you try. Better tha;us trying to get Kieffer Moore.
Semedo? I bet Mendes had a hand in that
Lage? Ditto.

 

[giantwolf]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

I think the key part of that is ‘supposedly interested in’…. we probably aren’t interested in 3/4+ of the players we’re linked with and therefore he probably hasn’t failed as often as you think. Also we need to remember, despite us being connected he’s only a quarter of the puzzle. Jorge can find, Jorge can connect, Jorge can advise a client to join but the selling club needs to want to sell, the plsyer needs to want to join and we need to pay what the player could get if he went elsewhere

I think he’s a useful ally, who regardless of whether we’re interested in one of his players or not can open doors (albeit at a price), but we need to be attractive both on the pitch and financially

 

[Direwolf]

I cannot believe you are seriously asking this question.

 

[Monketron]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves. The list of failures is growing.

He can get us a seat at the table, and access to the highest levels of clubs that most other teams around our size just don't get. But ultimately he can't force players to join us or clubs to sell players on the cheap (although there's definitely some quid pro quo that goes on between clubs he's close to). If Wolves don't put up the cash then we'll be feeding off scraps with or without Mendes.

 

[KBWWFC]

Traore would not have gone to Barcelona either.

Sellars was extremely proud about that one. I don't think that one had as much Mendes engineering behind it - he got paid nothing and his client took a pay cut.

 

[Bognor_Wolf]

Ofcourse it is we wouldn't be able to get half the quality we do if he wasn't involved...

Sa was a massive success that can't just be ignored also at the time Trincao was seen as a big signing just unfortunately he didn't show his quality enough but that is the risk of any transfer...

Plus previous transfer windows can't be ignored as most our top players since Fosun have come in are through him..

Our dealing with Mendes isn't the problem far from it..

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I was careful to talk about the past few windows, not since Fosun took over . He got us a seat at the table when we wouldn’t have otherwise, and he secured fantastic signings, but all that was in the Champ and first season in the PL. Since then, we’ve been as attractive as any other PL club and we’ve gotten little or no preferential deals.

The question is, why have the amazing deals we saw early on dried up in recent years? Is it that the project is no longer of value to Mendes? Is it that he’s done what he needed to do, and now we’re just another PL club with a budget and players?

 

[1972 i began]

He is,but the carousel is broke at the moment.

 

[Big Saft Kid]

We are no longer flavour of the month = He is no longer making enough money out of us

 

[Big Saft Kid]

I was careful to talk about the past few windows, not since Fosun took over . He got us a seat at the table when we wouldn’t have otherwise, and he secured fantastic signings, but all that was in the Champ and first season in the PL. Since then, we’ve been as attractive as any other PL club and we’ve gotten little or no preferential deals.

The question is, why have the amazing deals we saw early on dried up in recent years? Is it that the project is no longer of value to Mendes? Is it that he’s done what he needed to do, and now we’re just another PL club with a budget and players?

Correct on all counts

 

[sedgwolf1980]

The Silva deal has clearly embarrassed all parties involved, it’s that bad.

 

[Deleted member (smith)]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

you do know an agent works for his clients not the club? The connection may give wolves some opportunities but your comment about the list of failures is probably misguided.

 

[Rhyl Wolf]

Oh, thought the thread was about Eva Mendes! All things being equal, think I'd rather contemplate the Cuban actress at the moment, rather than the comings & goings at Molineux. It's exhausting all this transfer rumouring.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

you do know an agent works for his clients not the club? The connection may give wolves some opportunities but your comment about the list of failures is probably misguided.

Yes, I know the agent works for their clients and not the club. The point is, that in the first few years we seemed to get deals above our pay grade, and now we don’t. If Mendes was only ever focused on his clients, then some of those players would never have come to Wolves. That’s no longer the case. Now we just get Mendes deals like any other club - some good, some bad. The question is what’s changed?

 

[KBWWFC]

The point is, that in the first few years we seemed to get deals above our pay grade, and now we don’t.

We're currently at the top of "best of the rest", players 'above our pay grade' tend to want European football, which we can't offer at the minute.

 

[Skrilla]

Yes, let’s sack off Mendes and all his networks across the world and go back to young and hungry, overpriced British players. The number of good deals we’ve had as a result of Mendes far outweighs the bad ones.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Yes, let’s sack off Mendes and all his networks across the world and go back to young and hungry, overpriced British players. The number of good deals we’ve had as a result of Mendes far outweighs the bad ones.

You don’t “sack off” Mendes, you simply employ someone who can do a better job than Sellars and who isn’t in the pocket of one agent or another. Just as we may no longer be as interesting to Mendes as we were in the early days, neither is he as interesting to Wolves as an established PL club.

Frankly, if the choice now were a decent experienced DoF or deferring to Mendes, I’d hire the DoF. Agents will always do business with PL clubs because of the money available.

 

[Deleted member (smith)]

Yes, I know the agent works for their clients and not the club. The point is, that in the first few years we seemed to get deals above our pay grade, and now we don’t. If Mendes was only ever focused on his clients, then some of those players would never have come to Wolves. That’s no longer the case. Now we just get Mendes deals like any other club - some good, some bad. The question is what’s changed?

when we were not a top ten premiership club wolves provided a real opportunity for young talented unknowns Who the big clubs didn’t care much about. The project if you will…now however we are looking for more established players and are in competition with more established clubs….so in the early days the Mendes connection worked well for his clients and for wolves…Jota being a good example ….now it’s not so easy.

 

[sc91]

He only bothered with Wolves because Wolves would spend, Wolves don't want to spend so why bother?

 

[Starsky]

Need him more than ever now we're skint.

 

[Deleted member drgr12429]

This is a "what have the romans ever done for us" thread isn't it....

 

[1972 i began]

You don’t “sack off” Mendes, you simply employ someone who can do a better job than Sellars and who isn’t in the pocket of one agent or another. Just as we may no longer be as interesting to Mendes as we were in the early days, neither is he as interesting to Wolves as an established PL club.

Frankly, if the choice now were a decent experienced DoF or deferring to Mendes, I’d hire the DoF. Agents will always do business with PL clubs because of the money available.

But we got any money available.HAVE WE.?

 

[DanishWolf]

Its not straightforward is it?
Its quite clear that the connection with Mendes has helped us get access to players we wouldn't otherwise have had access to and it seems very much that its the Mendes related signings that are more successful than the non-related. Some of them have been bargains through their high quality and low fee (Neves, Moutinho, etc) and others we probably wouldn't thought of signing, had Mendes not intervened. Neto and Sa are good examples for that.
On the other hand the fee for Silva stinks and the deals for Semedo, Adama and Trincao where all more or less in Barcas favour.

I know it might be payback for the favours in the early years, where we got quality players on the cheap. That's how it works with Mendes I guess...

But if that's the case, then surely we should be in for a few massive favours soon.

 

[Don Corleone]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

Yes. But not with our budget or management team.

 

[Oldgold Wolfcub]

But we got any money available.HAVE WE.?

Of course our owners have plenty of money. Do they want to spend it is the question? It seems they have changed their business model of wanting this club to be a club that challenges at the very top unless it is by buying cheap and hoping for miracles.

 

[lostwolf]

I think the issue (for me anyway) is not whether Mendes can be useful to us but rather if relying entirely on Mendes is now useful. For me the answer is no. I think Mendes has played a critical part in us getting to where we are now, solidly PL, no complaint there. We're now arguably the top club in his carousel (not due to history or whatever, simply cos we're in the PL, the world's market) and so I think we should a) be leveraging that a bit more... We're now in a decent bargaining position; and b) looking elsewhere, either in the lower leagues, the PL where it makes sense, and in non Mendes / Portuguese markets. We should now be strong arming Mendes a bit, not waiting for his scraps...

 

[Kebab Warrior]

Yes we definitely don’t need the worlds most powerful agent.
We were just ****ting quality internationals before he and Fosun came on board you absolute custard.

 

[Ian]

We are no longer flavour of the month = He is no longer making enough money out of us

"We" don't want to spend money!
Why would you waste time dealing with penny pinchers when theres money to be made elsewhere from genuine buyers.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Yes we definitely don’t need the worlds most powerful agent.
We were just ****ting quality internationals before he and Fosun came on board you absolute custard.

That’s not what my OP said is it? Yes he was very helpful to us in the first 2-3 years. The last 2-3 years, much less so. In fact, since the Silva/Semedo window, only the RAN and Sa deals have been great, and some business has been bloody awful, unless you’d like to argue otherwise?

 

[Gold Flag Flying High]

mendes is very useful, if you are willing to spend any money.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

mendes is very useful, if you are willing to spend any money.

And I could say the same about any decent agent, and any club willing to spend decent money, will get lots of attention from Mendes. I just don’t see us getting anything more from Mendes now, than any mid table PL gets.

 

[Shergar]

“Jorge is my friend.” Jeff Shi (2021)
and 2022…?

 

[Kebab Warrior]

That’s not what my OP said is it? Yes he was very helpful to us in the first 2-3 years. The last 2-3 years, much less so. In fact, since the Silva/Semedo window, only the RAN and Sa deals have been great, and some business has been bloody awful, unless you’d like to argue otherwise?

My point is you can’t just wavey hand the RAN & Sa deals. They were awesome. I was gutted when Rui went… but somehow we got an even better keeper and made a profit. Can you even imagine such a thing pre-Mendes/Fosun?
As for the last 3 years, how about the fact Neves stayed, Moutinho stayed, Raul stayed, Neto (pre-injury) stayed? It can’t all just be about new shiney baubles.

It all feels very Veruca Salt to me. ‘Yeah you may have signed players we never dreamed of and got us into Europe but I want gooses, geeses… I want a bean feast, what have you done for me this week?’

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

Erm...he doesn't work for us?
Gestifute are about getting the best deals for their players, not the best deals for wolves.

 

[Mugwump]

Looking back over the past few seasons, Sa transfer aside, I’m struggling to see what good Uncle Jorge has done us?

He has neither helped us sign any of the targets we’re supposedly interested in, and he’s failed to sell any of his clients who are our major assets needed to fund squad rebuilding. Traore’s abysmal loan to Barca which did sweet fa to help us, Trincao who was rubbish. Palhinha who now is apparently heading towards Fulham before we can sell Neves.

The list of failures with his fingers over them is growing.

I think he's still useful, very useful. Our problem still is our utter reliance on him to bring in players of any real quality. We need to use to him help bring in players we probably wouldbt get otherwise, but at the same time, the level of player we bring in without him has to improve as well.