Star could sign for Wolves instead of Liverpool, crazy situation

Wolverhampton could end up being Anderson Talisca’s destination in England, according to claims in Portugal. The Benfica midfielder, who was reportedly close to a Liverpool move, is now struggling to get a work permit for the Premier League.

Record has an article this Tuesday saying Talisca is in touch with his representatives everyday, as his agent Jorge Mendes is the one getting him the transfer to Liverpool. The intention would be to try a work permit as a young potential, but although the newspaper doesn’t say if the document was denied or not, they already talk about a solution for it.

And that would be going to the Championship instead. They say the Wolves have a mid-term project to get back to the Premier League and this would be an easier scenario to get the paperwork done.

The situation is a bit strange because Record mentions Liverpool, Wolverhampton, the work permit issue and the player’s thoughts, but never talk about the negotiations.

Getting a work permit for the Championship simply seems to defy logic. The new work permit rules mean players who don’t qualify through international appearances can do so by picking up points.

The following explanation is from the excellent Daniel Geey football law website and details the first appeals hurdle.

• The value of the transfer fee being paid for the player is in the top 25% of all transfers to Premier League clubs in the previous 2 windows – 3 points

• The value of the transfer fee being paid for the player is between the 50th and 75th% of all transfers to Premier League clubs in the previous 2 windows – 2 points

• The wages being paid to the player by the applicant club is in the top 25% of the top 30 earners at the club – 3 points

• The wages being paid to the player by the applicant club are between the 50th and 75th% of all the top 30 earners at the club – 2 points

• The player’s current club is in a Top League and the player has played in 30% or more of the available domestic league minutes – 1 point

• The player’s current club has played in the group stages or onwards of the Champions League, Europa League or the Copa Libertadores within the last 12 months and the player has played in 30% or more of the available domestic league minutes – 1 point

4 points can be enough to see a player through.

Talisca may well be able to pick up the points for Liverpool, dependent on transfer fee and wages. The whole purpose of the new work permit rules is to stop those that aren’t good enough getting the permission, not to push them down to the Championship.

We’re not sure where Record are going with this.