Wolverhampton Wanderers have become a popular destination for many of the clients of Jorge Mendes and his agency Gestifute. Mendes has already lured some top Portuguese players such as Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho and as per one of the latest reports by The Sun, Wolves are now linked with former Real Madrid defender Pepe.
The report states that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are preparing a £7million bid to prise Pepe out of Besiktas this summer in order to bolster their defensive ranks further. If his move to the Molineux Stadium materializes, he would be the eighth Portuguese player on the books of the Midlands club. Pepe has one year left on his current contract with the Turkish giants and reports state that his former club FC Potro are also keen on a reunion.
Under the tutelage of Espirito Santo, Wolves clinched the Championship silverware last season and will be looking to make a positive impact in the most competitive league in the world. Given that they are due to ply their trade against the elite English clubs, the Portuguese manager has been quick to beef up his ranks this summer to face the animosity that the English top flight has on offer.
The likes of Diogo Jota, Willy Boly, Moutinho and Leo Bonatini have already been roped in and their apparent interest to make Pepe sign on the dotted line makes a lot of sense. The Portuguese international might have perennially been a controversial player but there is no denying that he is an astute defender and his entry would inject a lot of resilience to Wolves’ back line.
The 35-year-old thrives when thrown in at the deep end and at this age, the Premier League is certainly one. But his penchant for enjoying the tussles and the ability to come out on top of the attacker over the course of the 90 minutes means that it will not be a completely new ball game for the veteran. He has been a serial winner as he has won 12 major honours throughout his career, including 3 Champions League titles and the 2016 European Championship with Portugal.
He garnered 23 appearances in Super Lig last season, scoring 2 goals and registering 1 assist. Besides, he made 1.1 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 3.9 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game on an average. He is a tough tackler and is generally quick to stop the attacking endeavours of the opposition. In his side’s quest of finding their feet in the Premier League, Espirito Santo needs leaders on the pitch and someone like Pepe should be able to lead their back line with aplomb.
