Pepe deal would be poor investment from Wolves

Add as preferred source on Google

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a move for a former Real Madrid star this summer.

According to Turkish source Fanatik, the newly-promoted side are in the hunt for Portugal international Pepe. The report suggests he is available for €7 million (£6.2m) at his current club Besiktas with Wolves and Porto keen on his signature.

On paper, a deal does make sense. Pepe would be another Portuguese arrival at Molineux so would have no trouble settling in. The experienced defender would add genuine steel to the back-line at Wolves. His pedigree can also not be questioned. The 35-year-old is a three-time Champions League winner and also won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016.

But he would surely be a poor investment for Wolves and one they should avoid.

Pepe is not exactly universally loved. The veteran defender’s ridiculous antics on the field have often seen him vilified in the English press for his play-acting and cheating.

His presence would act merely as a distraction that Wolves fans surely would not stand for and, you would hope, the same with English referees.

“He must be embarrassed when he sees himself on TV behaving like that. He must be embarrassed for his kids to see that.”

– Rio Ferdinand after Pepe dived v Morocco at World Cup 2018

On top of that, on a simply footballing reason, Pepe would be a disappointing recruit.

At 35 he is beyond his best and the pace of the Premier League would see him struggling. Spending £6.2 million on an over-the-hill pain in the neck would not be a great move from Wolves.