Will Wolves under FOSUN be like Valencia under Peter Lim?

[those were the days]

I fear Wolves's story under FOSUN could play out similarly to Valencia's under Peter Lim, where Mendes and his agency GestiFute have similar influence. Similar to Valencia, player recruitment appears to have been out-sourced to Mendes and the first managerial patsy has been hired.

The Mendes/GestiFute model is built on TPO (banned in the UK) and has served the big clubs in Portugal (Porto, Benfica) well over the last 10-15 years. Through TPO, those clubs can attract and pay for promising players and earn a healthy cut of profits on the major success stories before re-loading cheaply with the next crop of potential talent. However, for this strategy to work for the big Portuguese clubs and GestiFute, Mendes needs an 'out' to be able to shift on the duds or the players who don't quite make it and I reckon that's where Wolves and, albeit higher up the feeding chain, the likes of Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna and Monaco come in.

I suspect too that FOSUN and Jeff Shi (CEO, FOYO) have multiple objectives with Wolves. The stated objective is, of course, to buy a historic club relatively cheaply with potential to add value on promotion, but I'd wager this is relatively small beer and a secondary objective compared to the real prize which is consolidating working relationships with GestiFute as both parties look to expand into the potentially extremely lucrative Chinese domestic football market. FOSUN have invested in GestiFute and FOYO have a strategic partnership in place with GestiFute covering agency services for players and image rights and Jeff Shi will, I'm sure, be smart enough to know thats where the real value of the takeover likely comes from.

The above, of course, doesn't mean the FOSUN takeover will necessarily be bad for Wolves, but it certainly increases its chances. It also means a lot of stuff will happen that looks very odd and will potentially not be in Wolves' interest, but will make more sense viewed through the prism of above.

 

[Skrilla]

Let's see the calibre of players we bring in before we start judging them. It's clear Mendes has a big influence on all of this, but was Shi chatting out of his $$$$ when he said promotion was the main goal. I want to see some serious financial investment in players, over the next two weeks we'll be able to quickly identify their true ambitions.

 

[Urko]

After the squad had been asset stripped, a relegation battle was a certainty under Moxey & Morgan.

At least now we have some hope.

 

[R1ch]

If I was a rich owner and my first focus was getting promoted this is not the way I'd have gone about it but let's see where we are at the end of the month. To early to judge yet

 

[SedgleyWolf93]

Delete this thread please it's way to early to judge. Let's just see who we invest and spend money on first. The transfer window dosent end for another month.. Then we'll know the true ambitions for our club

 

[maws]

Thing is they've spent £45m already, then probably another min £30m more in market, the only way they will get their money back is for us to go up so its in their interests as well as ours. If we get a loanee that the parent club can make £10m on then that player is going to have done well for us so to our benefit to. I can't see it working straight away though, and hope there is enough leeway off the fans to allow them time. Look at City still they haven't made a CL final despite nearly a billion spent, it takes time

 

[goldfish]

Excellent OP, and good (theoretical) analysis of why Fosun's aims might not match the aims of fans and 'the club' (to the extent that there is a club separate from the owners). We can't be sure it's right but I think it, or something similar, is much more likely than the view most people are taking.

 

[Vietnam Wolf]

I'm gonna give it a chance before I start whingeing. Not too happy with Zenga but at least we've got more to hope for now than we did under Morgan and Moxey a couple of months ago. With them the only way was down.

 

[itsmee]

Do you think the football league will be aware of TPO, and Mendes etc, and will not allow registration of any players that break the these conditions?

 

[Sammy Chungs Tracksuit]

After the squad had been asset stripped, a relegation battle was a certainty under Moxey & Morgan.

At least now we have some hope.

Exactly Urko. We would have been in a relegation battle and we still might if the new owners get recruitment badly wrong. Our success or failure largely depends on who we bring in over the next few weeks. I'd go as far as to say the current squad would be relegation certainties.

 

[Big Saft Kid]

After the squad had been asset stripped, a relegation battle was a certainty under Moxey & Morgan.

At least now we have some hope.

Isn't this libellous too, then Mutchy? Why was my post deleted and not this?

 

[NavyWolf]

No.

 

[sc91]

Bore off OP. Fearmongering at its finest.

 

[NavyWolf]

Bore off OP. Fearmongering at its finest.

Exactly this. Ffs people calm down and wait to see what this week brings at least. All major players there today, Sky Sun, big Jeff, Mendes and Walt. They will now understand what is required and im certain we will see major transfers in this week, both from UK and abroad.

 

[jrpb-3]

Yes we have to wait and see,(not that we have any other choice) but I do worry the OP may be close to the truth. My advice buckle up its going to be a bumpy ride on the all new Wolves rollercoaster

 

[NavyWolf]

Surely, much like this site it should be the big dipper

 

[waggys left foot]

You also have to factor in that the chinese state has ambitions to be a world football power by 2050 -to do this they need to learn as much as poss.Wolves and the tie up with
mendes are part of this learning curve.As are their investments in manc,athletico and ownership of others.

We will benefit as they do need to get to the prem to learn more.But they are not in it for wolves glory ,chinese glory is what they are after .

 

[Dr Wolfenstein]

Wolves funded by FOSUN are a short term cash cow for Mendes & his 2nd tier clients.
If the strategy doesn't result in success for the club over the next 2 seasons & a return on their investment, it's doubtful FOSUN will hang around.

All owners talk promotion & wear the Wolves scarf for photo opportunities, but they are businessmen. This isn't a pet project for Jeff Shi. He has no irrational love of Wolverhampton like Sir Jack or Robert Plant/Glenn Hughes. It's a means to an end. Lets hope it doesn't mean the end.

Steve Bruce, organic growth & a greater degree of stability would have bred more confidence in the future of the club. A quick fix papering over cracks with a manager used to regular temporary employment & being fed foreign B team rejects just to give Mendes' lesser portfolio a weekly wage could just be a recipe for disaster.

The timing for this type of panic-induced policy doesn't bode well for the new season.

 

[goldeneyed]

Fosun need to get Wolves into the Premiership if this is all going to make economic success. That is the platform from which they can launch a major marketing campaign to put Wolves on the footballing map in China and the Far East. That surely is the central aim. Mendes is obviously a key component and his aim is to make money for his players and himself. But he won't want to see the Wolves project fail.

Yes there may be some profit making involved as players are shunted around the place. But I am confident that the central aim of promotion will be top of everyone's list for the moment. I expect some £30m to be spent this season toward that. Whether that will work I don't know but I think next season will be the time for the big promotion push. This season will be messy and who knows whether Zenga will even last beyond a season.