Wolves should go all out to sign former Real Madrid star Pepe in January
According to the Sun, former Real Madrid star Pepe might be closing in on a move to newly-promoted Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers after the cancellation of his contract by Turkish giants Besiktas.
The 35-year-old is still regarded as one of the best centre-backs in world football and is a regular for Portugal at the back. He was the pick of the defenders for his nation at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was enjoying a fruitful season with Besiktas before the club decided to cancel his contract due to his huge wage demands.
The Portuguese international made his move to Real Madrid back in 2007 and won three La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles over the course of his distinguished and illustrious career at the Bernabeu. Pepe made his move to Besiktas at the start of the last season and accumulated 52 appearances for the club, scoring 7 goals in the process.
The amazing fact is that Pepe is still good enough to pay for any top European club at the age of 35. Even the best of the centre-backs tend to slow down and lose their reflexes after 32 or 33 but the Portuguese ace has defied age and injuries to continues his dominance in world football. In other words, his seemingly indefatigable body has remained unaffected by his years and he still has a good 2-3 years of football left in his tank.
To put things into perspective, Wolves have a golden opportunity to lure the highly-rated Portuguese ace to the Molineux with a lucrative contract and it will be a shame for the club to let such a chance go begging. The Premier League new boys failed with a bid to land him in summer but they should now be able to meet his demands given that he is a free-agent.
As things stand, Wolves are right on course for a Europa League spot next season.
Solidity at the back has been the key to Wolves’ success this season and the centre-back trio of Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly has done an excellent job so far.
However, the manager should keep in mind that they do not have a quality replacement at the back should any of the three first-choice centre-backs sidelined with an injury. Dominic Iorfa, Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Kortney Hause are way down the pecking order and Wolves face the risk of a potential burn out at the back later in the season.
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In all honesty, a player of Pepe’s quality will not only add to the squad depth at Molineux but he can also bring that winning mentality to the team. Brave, fearless and aggressive. Pepe is a leader of men who likes to lead by example and his mere presence is enough to lift the confidence of the others around him. He can definitely do a world of good to the mentality and mindset of a newly promoted team and Wolves can dare to dream to a Europa League spot with Pepe in their ranks.
That said, Wolves should use their Portuguese links to snap up the 35-year-old veteran in January.
