Wolves fans will be all too familiar with the ongoing partnership between Fosun and Jorge Mendes.
Fosun took over from Steve Morgan at Wolves all the way back in 2016 for roughly £45 million.
Ever since then, Jorge Mendes‘ influence has been felt from transfer window to transfer window, with it being claimed that the Chinese owners had a stake in the Gestifute agency.
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Of course, it has allowed Wolves to sign players like Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto in the Championship, but the influence has been almost overpowering in recent years.
Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Kyle Walker-Peters were all wanted by Wolves in the summer, but they decided against those three moves, which says it all.
READ MORE:What Jeff Shi told Rob Edwards privately about his vision for Wolves
Jeff Shi makes Jorge Mendes promise to Wolves fans
According to John Percy, Fosun will look at internal solutions, and they don’t want to rely on external influences such as Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute agency.
It isn’t easy to know whether the Chinese owners will keep their word, but for now it’s a positive.
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With the January transfer window around the corner, there is no more room for errors with Wolves in such a precarious position at the bottom of the table.
Experience in England has to be valued, and a lack of leadership is a real concern at this moment.
Which position do Wolves need to prioritise in January?
Fer Lopez the latest Jorge Mendes signing at Wolves
Jeff Shi appears to be coming to the realisation that Mendes’ dealings have hampered Wolves in recent times, with his most recent one being Fer Lopez.
The midfielder was relatively unknown when he joined Wolves, only recently breaking through into the Celta Vigo first-team, so it came as a surprise to see a £19.5 million fee.
However, to be fair to the attacking midfielder, he has shown promise, but Lopez just wasn’t given much of a chance under Vitor Pereira.
Statistic Total
Expected Non-Penalty Goal Contributions Per 90 0.63
Shot Creating Actions Per 90 4.21
Progressive Passes Per 90 6.49
Fer Lopez data over the last 365 days per FBREF
Whilst he’s not been the worst, there are many other examples of transfers and even a manager suggestion that makes you raise your eyebrows.
Jorge Mendes raised the idea of appointing Bruno Lage instead of Rob Edwards during the managerial search process, but the owners stood strong.
Fabio Silva was one who really stood out as perhaps the worst deal of the lot. Signing a relatively unproven Porto wonderkid for £35.6 million, only for him to completely flop.
After seeing the likes of Wilson, Brooks and Walker-Peters all thrive this season, Wolves fans are left to think about what could have been.