Mendes link provokes Wolves storm

THE English Football League (EFL) are to hold fresh talks with Wolves after a number of Championship rivals expressed concerns over the involvement of Portuguese ‘superagent’ Jorge Mendes.

Leeds, Aston Villa and Derby have voiced their concerns to the EFL over Mendes’ links with Wolves, claiming they breach regulations on third-party ownership.

Mendes is the agent of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, £15m signing Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Ivan Cavaleiro, and also has a long association with Wolves owners Fosun International.

Wolves have always insisted they are satisfied with Mendes’ role and Molineux sources have pointed out that all of the paperwork for the club’s transfer deals are lodged with the English FA.

However, the club have admitted to being in danger of breaching Financial Fair Play rules after making a loss of more than £20m last season.

Under current EFL rules, clubs are allowed to post a maximum loss of £39m over a three-year period – minus certain exemptions.

The accounts for Wolves’s parent company WW (1990) Ltd show they made a £23.2m loss last season following a £5.8m profit the previous year.

They are required to submit their projected profit/loss figures for the current season later this month and they will be used to determine whether they have complied with FFP rules over the 2015-18 period.

A projected loss similar to last season’s could put them in danger of breaching the £39m cap and see the EFL impose a points deduction in order to stop them benefiting by gaining promotion.

An alternative – and far more controversial – sanction, given the riches on offer in the Premier League, would be to hand them the kind of fine the EFL was forced to issue to the likes of Queens Park Rangers under its previous FFP rules. (© Daily Telegraph, London)