There are a few cases of ‘ones that got away’ for Wolves in the Fosun era – but the decision not to sign Vitinha is starting to look like a major mistake on the face of it.
Vitinha had a loan spell at Wolves in the 2020/21 season, joining the club from FC Porto.
There was excitement about the move, with Vitinha having a reputation for being an exciting young talent from Portugal.
Joao Moutinho was signed at the age of 31, and Wolves knew they’d eventually need a long-term replacement for the maestro.
Vitinha perhaps stood to be that player.
But at the end of the 2020/21 season, the club declined the chance to sign the youngster via their £17 million buy option.
We are now seeing Vitinha – who’s been branded ‘a complete midfielder’ – shine for Paris Saint-Germain and last night, he produced another brilliant performance against Liverpool.
As is customary when Vitinha plays, there is mention of his loan spell with Wolves – so here is why the club didn’t sign him permanently.
Why Wolves didn’t sign Vitinha
It simply boiled down to Wolves just not being willing to take the ‘risk’ of signing Vitinha permanently.
He had made 22 appearances for Wanderers across all competitions in 2020/21, but most of those were cameos.
His finest moment came when he scored a stunning goal from distance in a game against Chorley in the FA Cup. That was actually referenced during last night’s Champions League game between Liverpool and PSG.
But moments like that were few and far between for Vitinha, with Nuno Espirito Santo playing Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and sometimes Leander Dendoncker at every turn. Nuno left in the summer, and then the decision not to sign Vitinha was made on the watch of Bruno Lage.
The Athletic reported in 2021 that Vitinha wasn’t signed for two main reasons; the first being that the club were not convinced by the performances he had put in.
The second reason was that Wolves were looking across the market to see which other players were available in his position at the time.
In another report from The Athletic in 2022, it was claimed Wolves felt the £17 million would be too much to stake on him filling his potential.
The superb Vitinha stats for PSG against Liverpool
Vitinha really does make for uncomfortable viewing for Wolves fans these days, knowing there was an opportunity to sign him permanently.
Granted, Vitinha probably didn’t quite show enough during his time at Molineux. But some still feel it was a gamble the club should have taken, as he did show glimpses of his amazing potential.
Last night, Vitinha again shone on the biggest stage, putting in a masterclass of a performance against Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg.
He just completely bossed the game at Anfield, having 136 touches which was the most of any player, and completing 103/111 passes.
But it was also a top defensive shift, as he made six clearances, five tackles and two interceptions. He also won possession back seven times.