Wolves continue to get punished for their blunders in the transfer window, with several of their former targets now starring in the Champions League.
In the summer of 2023, Wolves failed to seal a transfer for Viktor Gyokeres as Jeff Shi wasn’t in the country to finalise a deal.
Gyokeres is now on the verge of becoming a world-class striker at Sporting Lisbon after starring in the Champions League this term.
Not acquiring the Swedish international hurt Wolves a lot, but arguably, opting against signing Vitinha on a permanent deal was even more damaging.
Vitinha spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Molineux and showed glimpses of excitement during a brief spell at the club.
But, despite being a potential long-term heir to midfield magician Joao Moutinho, Wolves rejected the chance to sign Vitinha for £17 million, and that decision has come back to bite them brutally.
Thierry Henry in awe of Vitinha’s performance against Liverpool
Since being snubbed by the Wanderers in 2021, Vitinha joined PSG a year later for £34 million and the rest, as they say, is history.
Under the guidance of Spanish tactician Luis Enrique, the Portuguese dynamo is one of PSG’s most influential players, and on Tuesday night, he helped knock Liverpool out of the Champions League with a stunning performance.
The French side prevailed on penalties, with Vitinha scoring his, and his performance caught the eye as he rarely put a foot wrong at Anfield.
| Vitinha’s stats vs Liverpool |
| 120 minutes played |
| 136 touches |
| 103/111 passes completed (93%) |
| 2 key passes |
| 6 accurate long balls |
| 6 ground duels won |
| 5 tackles |
Incredibly, the 25-year-old completed a whopping 103 of his 111 attempted passes while winning a mammoth six ground duels and leaving Thierry Henry stunned by his display.
🌟 | 𝘽𝙄𝙂 praise for Vitinha from Thierry Henry last night.
— Próxima Jornada (@ProximaJornada1) March 12, 2025
“This guy, Vitinha, he plays a different sport. You know when you can control the rhythm and tempo of a game, that has to count for something…
The way he controls the game, and defends, it’s a different sport”. pic.twitter.com/nfzMIOinjM
Speaking on TNT Sports coverage, Henry said: “This guy, Vitinha, plays a different sport. You know when you can control the tempo and rhythm of a game, that has to count for something.
“People always talk about the people who can do step overs and win the game but Vitinha, the way he controls the game, and defends, it’s a different sport.”
There’s no wonder Vitinha has been compared to Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, and Wolves fans have now reacted to his performance against the Reds.
Wolves fans react to Vitinha’s Champions League display
The PSG superstar is a completely different player to the one that turned out for Wolves four years ago and scored in the FA Cup against Chorley.
The last non-league side left in the competition, Chorley, pushed Premier League Wolves all the way.
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 22, 2021
A stunner from Vitinha secured Nuno Espírito Santo's side a victory. pic.twitter.com/PgLr9du0YH
Some fans agreed that he wasn’t good enough at the time to usurp one of Moutinho or Ruben Neves in the Wanderers midfield.
“You can only judge on performance at the time, he wasn’t good enough. You shouldn’t hang on to a player hoping in 4/5 years time that changes,” one supporter wrote.
“He did not want to come here permanently and we had to choose between him or RAN…. How many times will we talk about the same story,” another said.
“He wasn’t getting in ahead of Neves or Moutinho at that time though,” a third replied.
He wouldn't have become the player he is now if he stayed at wolves
— John Wilkes (@JohnWilkes1877) March 12, 2025
While a select few felt Wolves made the correct decision not signing him at the time, others slammed Nuno Espirito Santo for playing him out wide.
“Half the reason I was Nuno out was bc he refused to play Vitinha,” one fan said while another replied: “What house happened if Nuno actually played him as a midfielder and not a winger.”
Few could have foreseen Vitinha becoming a world-class talent after being snubbed by Wolves, and it’s something they’ll have to live with.