Football News: Has Wolverhampton Wanderers Benefited from Jorge Mendes as a source of players?

Wolverhampton Wanderers are now stated to be looking at becoming less reliant on Jorge Mendes as a source of players. I was wondering however to what extent we have benefitted from this link.

If you look at the major transfers (all of them not just the Jorge backed ones) between the summer of 2017 and today, did we pay more or less than "value" as per Transfer market and how have these worked out?

2017 is the year it is argued we benefitted the most as our signings included:
Reuben Neves, perhaps the poster boy for the Jorge "relationship". We did pay over £15m however for a very young player albeit one who was making waves in Portugal. A pretty full price (almost double his transfer market value at the time), as most youngsters don't make it and we were taking something of a punt - it has of course more than paid off!

Diego Jota the other big win! Another young largely unproven player we paid full price for (again nearly double his transfer market price), but who may not have been up for the challenge without Jorge's help?

And Willy Boly, a journey man pro for whom we paid top dollar (nearly 4x transfer market value)

In 2018 we also did ok in fact better than ok. Otto and Traore came at very full prices (double or worse transfer market value), Rui and Jimenez came for full fees and Dendonker for perhaps a fair price, slightly less than transfer market value. All worked out!

However, the one undoubted gift in the whole period to today came in the form of Moutinho, undeniably a bargain at less than half transfer market value!

In 2019 it starts to look less rosy. We paid a full price for Podence (who has worked out) and got a bargain in Cutrone (one that didn't work out!) Paid massive money for Neto and Jordao - one that worked out one that hasn't.

In 2020 it was a total disaster. We paid insane money for Silva and Hoever (that haven't worked out) and allegedly got a bargain (according to Transfer market) in Semedo that sadly also hasn't worked out.

In 2021 a slight recovery as we only bought two cheap players in the forms of Sa and RAN at market prices, both of which have been successes.

Finally in 2022, we paid less than market value for Sasa and Guedes, slightly more for Nunes and Collins and on market for Hwang. Sadly, to date none of whom to date can be considered to be a success, but maybe in time Collins and Nunes might be?

Overall, it appears that transfers have become increasingly poorer over time regardless of the price paid and perhaps we should accept that it had nothing to do with Mendes, but instead it was Nuno's influence, system and coaching that turned the players into stars?

After all it was Nuno who turned Doherty from a lower division footballer to the 2nd best RWB in the league and Coady from a journeyman champ player to an England regular!

We therefore made a horrendous error in moving away from Nuno and should have lost Mendes, Sellars and Shi instead. Now with a proper manager rather than the 3 Amigos, maybe the players that come in regardless of Jorge's influence or otherwise will again progress and contribute and Wolves can start the long and painful journey back to where we were before Jeff (clearly and very foolishly) incorrectly decided that Nuno was wrong!

Written by Thefutureisoldgold November 20 2022 11:54:32