Football: Salary System - Chapter 160: Jorge Mendes (Patreon)

Since Pepe was about to become a free agent, Zorc naturally had no intention of wasting money by going through the formal process of contacting Beşiktaş.

Instead, on this trip to Istanbul, he arranged a private meeting directly with Pepe's agent, Jorge Mendes.

Mendes's standing in the football world hardly needed explaining. His client list alone said enough.

Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Di María, James Rodríguez, Bernardo Silva...

The Portuguese agent and Raiola were regarded as the "dynamic duo" of the football agent world, though their approaches could hardly have been more different.

Dortmund had rarely worked with Mendes. Their only real dealing had come in 2016, when they signed Turkish prospect Emre Mor, one of the super-agent's clients.

Mor failed to establish himself at Dortmund and was sold after just one season, so the relationship between the two sides never developed any further.

Witsel had also once been a Mendes client. The Belgian's move to Asia had been orchestrated entirely by Mendes.

But by the time Dortmund approached Witsel that summer, he had already changed agents.

So Zorc didn't actually know Mendes all that well.

...

The meeting was arranged in a conference room at the Ritz-Carlton, overlooking the gray-blue waters of the Bosphorus.

Mendes was already there when Zorc arrived.

"Michael, it's been a long time. Dortmund have been incredible this season, especially that kid Zayn. He's unbelievable."

"Thank you. Zayn really is unbelievable."

Zorc had expected Mendes to spend some time talking about the weather, the Bundesliga, and Turkey's awful tax rates before gradually steering the conversation toward Pepe.

Instead, after only a couple of pleasantries, Mendes went straight to the point.

"Michael, I have to admit your information is very good. Pepe will become a free agent within the next week."

Zorc nodded.

"Dortmund are interested in Pepe. We'd like to know what he's thinking."

Mendes smiled.

"We appreciate Dortmund's interest in Pepe. But I should tell you that you're not the only club watching him, especially after Beşiktaş's financial problems became public.

"You know how this works. For the sake of our client's interests, we usually prefer to receive the other offers first and then take our time deciding."

Zorc frowned slightly.

He had rushed to Istanbul precisely because he wanted to settle the matter before other clubs could get involved.

"We're prepared to offer him a serious contract, and we can guarantee him an important tactical role."

"I don't doubt Dortmund's sincerity. Pepe also has great respect for Dortmund. It's a great club."

And then Mendes stopped there.

He gave nothing away and made no commitment whatsoever.

For some reason, Zorc suddenly found himself missing that greedy but straightforward fat man.

Raiola might be difficult to deal with, but at least he would tell you exactly how much money he wanted.

Mendes noticed the German's displeasure and smiled.

"How about this, Michael? As soon as Pepe's contract is terminated, I'll arrange a meeting between the two of you."

Zorc gave a noncommittal nod, revealing little on his face.

"All right. I'll wait to hear from you."

After a few more polite exchanges and a rough agreement on when they might meet again, Zorc stood and left.

...

A few minutes later, Mendes entered another conference room on the top floor of the Ritz-Carlton.

He waited a little longer before Pepe knocked and came in.

The two had worked together for more than a decade, all the way back to 2007, so there was no need for much small talk.

After greeting each other with a hug, Mendes recounted his conversation with Zorc.

"Dortmund are definitely serious. There wouldn't be any problem with your tactical role or your standing in the dressing room. But I haven't promised them anything yet."

Pepe looked slightly surprised, but Mendes continued before he could say anything.

"The reason is simple. Dortmund's wage structure is very tight right now. Zayn just signed a new contract, and that fat guy Raiola has probably already drained most of their wage budget.

"If you went there now, your weekly salary definitely wouldn't be high. Unless they sell several players in the winter window, but looking at how thin their bench already is, I don't think that's likely."

"To be honest, I wouldn't recommend Dortmund right now. Less money, more pressure. For a player your age, the trade-off just isn't worth it."

Pepe fell silent.

Mendes had a point.

In another two months, Pepe would be 36.

Perhaps it was time to make the most of the final stretch of his football career and secure a few lucrative contracts while he still could.

Seeing that Pepe wasn't saying anything, Mendes continued.

"You know, I've built some good connections in Asia over the last couple of years."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Several clubs over there have already contacted me about you. If you're willing to make the move, your annual salary would be much higher than what you earned at Real Madrid. The football would also be less demanding, there's plenty of attention, and the market is huge. Picking up a few commercial deals afterward wouldn't be difficult either."

Offers from Asian clubs during that period could be enormous, especially for a high-profile veteran like Pepe.

But Pepe shook his head.

"It's too far away, Jorge. Angelica and Emily are still young. They might not adjust well to life there, and I don't want to put them through another major move just because of me."

Pepe was famous for his aggressive style on the pitch, but away from football, he had a quiet and happy family life.

Angelica and Emily were his two daughters, and the older one, Angelica, was only six that year.

"Besides, there are European Championship qualifiers next year. I don't want to risk being left out of Portugal's squad."

"What about the Premier League?"

Mendes immediately followed up.

"Wolves and Southampton both asked about you this summer. Wolves already have plenty of Portuguese players, and their ownership is willing to spend.

"Southampton have been looking for a center back for some time. Their defense has had serious problems since Van Dijk left, and they need an experienced veteran."

Both were also clubs in Europe's top five leagues.

Yet Mendes was clearly placing those two Premier League teams ahead of Dortmund.

Naturally, he had his own reasons.

In recent years, Mendes had been eager to expand his business network in the Premier League. Newly promoted Wolves, in particular, had practically been filled with Portuguese players through his influence.

In Mendes's view, the Premier League's commercial structure was mature and healthy enough that it would most likely become the most profitable league in the future.

Moving Pepe there would help strengthen his long-term business network in England.

That was perhaps the biggest difference between Mendes and Raiola.

Unlike the Italian, who was willing to throw chairs around a club owner's office in defense of his players' interests, Mendes preferred a corporate approach.

He worked hard to maintain good relationships with clubs so that more deals could follow in the future.

Even if one of his players failed to meet expectations, he would try to arrange another transfer and minimize the buyer's losses.

Pepe, however, didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the Premier League either.

"That miserable English weather. Once it starts raining, it never seems to stop."

Mendes shrugged without arguing.

Portugal was one of the warmest and sunniest countries in Europe, so the two men were very much in agreement when it came to Britain's weather.

"Jorge, after I finalized the contract termination with the club yesterday, my family flew back to Lisbon this morning."

Pepe seemed to have already made his decision.

...

Meanwhile, Zorc wasn't in any hurry to return to Dortmund, even though he hadn't managed to meet Pepe himself.

Transfers were never settled in a single conversation.

And Zorc certainly had no intention of simply sitting around and waiting for Mendes to contact him.

After arriving at the hotel he had booked in advance, he checked the time.

Dortmund's Champions League match against Monaco had already ended a while ago.

It had been an evening kickoff, so the entire team would be spending the night in Monaco.

Judging by the time, the players should have just returned to their hotel.

Zorc took out his phone, found a number, and called it.

The only Portuguese player in Dortmund's 2018-19 squad.

Raphael Guerreiro.

Four Portuguese players had been named in UEFA's official Team of the Tournament for Euro 2016.

And of those four, Guerreiro and Pepe were the only two defenders.