Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has claimed that the Jorge Mendes connection is the only reason Wolves have managed to attract players like Diogo Jota to the club on loan this season.

The Black Country club generated a lot of headlines with their recruitment in the summer, bringing Jota along with the likes of Ruben Neves and Willy Boly to Wolves and it’s paid off in style.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are running away with the league and boast a twelve point cushion over second place as it stands.

Given the wealth of owners Fosun International and the number of high-profile signings it has created the idea that Wolves are blatantly disregarding the financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

And, after one Villa fan asked how Wolves are doing it, Xia responded with his own thoughts.

He acknowledged that Wolves hadn’t actually spent that much and instead brought in a lot of the players on loan and cited Jota as a player that wouldn’t be playing in the Championship normally.

Xia also claimed the talented Portuguese star is on a very low wage and reckons it’s all down to Mendes.

The Verdict

You can’t argue with Xia in a sense. Nobody, including Wolves fans, thinks that the likes of Jota and Neves would be at Molineux without Mendes, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Clubs deal with specific agents all the time and credit Wolves for finding the best one.

As for FFP, Wolves have recruited smartly. And, for all the foreign imports, free transfers Ryan Bennett and John Ruddy have been key along with £1m Barry Douglas.

Wolves aren’t the biggest spenders in the league and whilst Mendes is obviously a massive influence it’s an easy excuse for some, including Xia. Villa will have a much bigger wage bill than Wolves and have spent significantly since he took over, so perhaps he should concentrate on his own team.

Thoughts, Villa and Wolves fans? Let us know in the comments below.