Midfielder Vitinha is currently shining at Euro 2024 with Portugal – and some neutrals have remembered that he was once a loanee at Wolves.
Wanderers signed Vitinha in the summer of 2020, taking him for the full season from Portuguese giants FC Porto.
Vitinha made 22 appearances across all competitions, with most of those coming as a substitute. Then-manager Nuno Espirito Santo was very much set on using the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and sometimes Leander Dendoncker in midfield.
Wolves had the option to buy Vitinha for around £17 million at the end of his loan spell.
Ultimately, the club decided against triggering it, feeling it was ‘too much to stake’ according to The Athletic.
This decision left a few fans feeling a bit uncomfortable. Because Vitinha had shown glimpses of his talent in a Wolves shirt, but he just didn’t get the show of faith from Nuno. His stunning goal against Chorley in the FA Cup showed he was capable of doing special things.
But Wolves didn’t want to risk it, and he headed back to Porto for the 2021/22 season. This is where things really started to change for Vitinha.
Vitinha has shone since leaving Wolves
Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty ImagesVitinha quickly became a regular starter for Porto under Sergio Conceicao and in 2021/22 he made 47 appearances across all competitions.
He helped his side to the league and cup double, and was named the Primeria Young Player of the Season. He was also named Player of the Month on three occasions, and made the Team of the Season.
His amazing form prompted Paris Saint-Germain to trigger his £34 million release clause in the summer of 2022.
Since moving to France, Vitinha has gone from strength to strength. Across two seasons he has made 94 appearances for PSG, and won the league twice.
In the season just gone, he was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year and Champions League Team of the Year.
And now, we see Vitinha really impressing for his country at the Euros, and some have inevitably pointed to the fact he spent a season on loan at Wolves.
It’s all been going rather well for him and potentially, Wolves missed a trick by not signing the deep-lying midfielder permanently.
But there were solid reasons for the club not taking up that option and now, Gary O’Neil has a player in the same mould who is a star in the making in his own right.
Tommy Doyle is Wolves’ answer to Vitinha
READ MORE: Gary O’Neil challenges Wolves ace Tommy Doyle to become as good as ‘intelligent’ Arsenal manWolves need not have regrets about Vitinha because they now have a similar player on the scene in Tommy Doyle, who recently did what Vitinha didn’t do and turned his loan move to the club permanent.
The Englishman made 32 appearances for Wolves last season and drew praise for his passing range and technical ability.
Doyle represents a totally different kind of player than Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes. Lemina and Gomes have a great partnership, and both have a lot of athleticism.
Doyle – described previously as ‘outstanding’ by former Wolves winger Mark Kennedy‘ – is the deep-lying playmaker who can get Wolves ticking. In games where O’Neil feels Wolves can have more of the ball, he will pick Doyle, either as part of a three with Lemina and Gomes or in place of one of them.
Massive thank you, @Wolves, for making me feel so welcome this season! Your support has been incredible! I’ve really enjoyed my new home and can’t wait to push on with the team. Hope you all have the best summer & I’ll see you soon 🧡🐺 pic.twitter.com/vL081feMfr
— Tommy Doyle (@Tommy_Doyle8) May 21, 2024 View Tweet
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He picks the ball up just in front of the defence, and then looks to break lines with his passing. If he’s unable to do that, he will just keep things ticking for Wolves, and always offer to receive the ball. He can take it under pressure and just pop it off nice and simple.
This is essentially what Vitinha’s game, so Wolves now have an answer to their former loanee who has gone on to become a star. As per fbref data, Doyle actually had an ever so slightly higher short pass completion rate than Vitinha in the league last season (93.4% vs 93.1%).
Before much longer, Doyle could well become just as good.
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