For a lot of Wolves fans, Vitinha is a bit of a sensitive subject.
The midfielder joined Wanderers on a season-long loan from FC Porto last season, and was potentially going to be an exciting addition.
The youngster had been billed as another technician from Portugal, and perhaps someone with the potential to earmark himself as long-term replacement for Joao Moutinho.
But chances were few and far between for Vitinha.
Nuno Espirito Santo rarely turned to him, preferring more experienced options like Moutinho, Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker.
In the end he only made 22 appearances, and Wolves officials decided at the end of the season that he hadn’t quite shown enough to warrant a £17 million permanent transfer fee.
And, perhaps inevitably since that decision, Vitinha has gone on to become a top player in Portugal.
The star enjoyed a tremendous 2021/22, making a whopping 47 appearances in total for Porto.
He won three Player of the Month awards, and helped Porto to a league title. He is now one of the club’s best players.
According to a report from A Bola, Porto are set to be active in terms of transfers this summer. Supposedly, it is ‘imperative’ for them to sell any of their main assets.
But Vitinha, and also Otavio, are considered non-transferable. The club will try to keep them ‘at all costs’.
Vitinha’s stature has grown immensely since Wolves rejection, as Porto seek to keep player ‘at all costs’
The fact that Porto now want to keep Vitinha ‘at all costs’ is a clear indicator of how good a player he has become.
Porto believe they have a fantastic young player on their hands and are completely opposed to losing him.
That shows how highly he is now regarded.
It is such a shame that Vitinha just didn’t have the faith of Nuno in 2020/21 so that he could make more appearances. Had he played more, it might have been a different story when it came to making the decision to sign him permanently or not.
Of course, Vitinha may well not have developed in the same way had Wolves actually signed him.
But it is certainly difficult to observe how his career is now unfolding.