Wolverhampton Wanderers are in a difficult situation both on and off the pitch, as Gary O’Neil attempts to weather the repercussions of the club’s financial issues in the summer.
Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions saw a host of talent offloaded to generate funds, leaving the current squad short of personnel, making the high points of the Old Gold’s Premier League journey seem so long ago.
When Nuno Espirito Santo guided Wolves to consecutive seventh-place finishes after earning promotion in 2018, not many would have anticipated how poorly things would turn out.
Despite being the poster boy at Molineux for the majority of his time as manager, the Portuguese made some fundamental errors during his predominantly successful tenure, as highlighted by some missed opportunities to capture talent. Vitinha has always been one notable name.
When did Vitinha play for Wolves?
In 2020, Portuguese midfielder Vitinha made the trip of many of his compatriots before him by joining Wolves on a season-long loan from FC Porto.
There was a pre-agreed purchase clause in place for the Midlands side to sign the 2000-born talent on a permanent basis, with the fee agreed to be in the region of £17m if he made a sufficient impact.
Unfortunately for the Old Gold, things didn’t work out as hoped for the promising young star, who failed to make an impact at Molineux, scoring just one goal in a total of 22 appearances in the 2020/21 season.
During the span of the Premier League campaign, the central midfielder started just five games out of the 34 that he was named in the squad, as well as being substituted into proceedings on only 14 occasions, via Transfermarkt.
By the time the summer of 2021 arrived, the skilful talent returned to his homeland, and typically for Wolves, had an impressive season at Porto, which showed those in the Midlands what they could have had.
In the 2021/22 Liga Portugal, the former loanee set the tone for midfielders in the league to follow, registering the highest rate of attempted passes per 90 with 78.49, and ranking in the top 2% of midfielders for his rate of 8.24 progressive passes per 90, via FBref.
What is Vitinha doing now?
To rub salt into Nuno’s wounds, Vitinha’s trickery in Porto didn’t go unnoticed, as he was picked up by European giants Paris Saint-Germain last summer for a fee of €40m (£34m).
Now playing with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, the Portugal international is thriving in Paris, and has become a key member of the squad in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Previously lauded as a “maestro” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the midfielder is now valued at €60m (£52m) by CIES Football Observatory, adding fuel to the fire when considering the fortunes Wolves could have generated by signing him for £17m.
Aside from the financial gain the Old Gold could have resourced by unearthing the 23-year-old’s quality, Nuno could have added a high-calibre player to the ranks, as he now prevails as one of the top midfielders in Europe.
As per FBref, Vitinha ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for his stellar pass completion rate, averaging 90.7% completed passes per 90 over the past year.
When weighing up the fee Wolves could have grasped the budding talent for, and the price he is now valued at, Nuno had a shocker by failing to commit to the development of the PSG sensation.