Let’s clear up Mendes row quickly

THE controversy that sprung up this week over ‘super-agent’ Jorge Mendes’ influence at Wolves has raised a number of questions. Since Wolves’ Chinese owners Fosun took over in 2016, there has been plenty of talk about the Portuguese’s involvement at Molineux.

It is understood he represents Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo and a number of their players, including £15.8m record signing Ruben Neves.

On the face of it, there’s nothing wrong with that. If Fosun want to do business with Mendes and believe they can do good business with him, that is their prerogative.

However, the water appears to muddy a little because a subsidiary of Fosun own a share in Mendes’ agency.

It is this ‘conflict of interest’ that appears to have upset several of Wolves’ rivals, notably Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani who hit out on Twitter after his side’s 3-0 defeat by the league leaders on Wednesday night.

“We have our own problems but we should play in a fair competition,” he said.

Now, the EFL plan a meeting with Wolves to reiterate their regulations, while Wolves have welcomed this and said they have done things by the book (see back page). A few questions: 1. Why has this come to a head now when Mendes’ involvement with Wolves has been known about for a long time?

2. Is it because Wolves look to be on the verge of promotion? 3. Is it just sour grapes from jealous rivals? It’s hard to believe Wolves would operate outside the EFL’s regulations. It would be asking for trouble.

However, it is right that the EFL should check that everything is above board because we all want a competition on a level playing field.

And the other thing that is vital is that this is dealt with swiftly. No one wants to see the runin tarnished by on-going off-the-field issues. Let’s get it sorted out as soon as possible.