Nuno Espírito Santo could have struck gold by signing one particular player during his reign.
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
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.
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.
Tottenham Hotspur recorded yet another late victory earlier today, as they rose to second in the Premier League courtesy of a last-gasp 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Whilst there were numerous star performers who helped the hosts down the stubborn nine-man Reds, unsurprisingly James Maddison sought to steal the show
Such is his immense quality, everything good that Ange Postecoglou’s side manages comes through the midfielder.
He commands the ball at every occasion, and is always buzzing around seeking to forge the next goalscoring opportunity. Today was no different.
The former Leicester City star would record an 8.0 rating for the clash, the third-best of anyone on the pitch, and managed a whopping 101 touches as if to emphasise his influence.
However, his time on the ball was far from meaningless, as he would convert that possession into numerous chances, forging five key passes and registering two shots on target, via Sofascore.
Whilst all this would often paint the picture of a Player of the Match performance, it should therefore mark a testament to Pedro Porro’s display that the Spaniard still managed to outshine him.
Having started this season with huge question marks hovering over his capability within a back-four, the former Sporting CP ace has speedily put those fears to bed with a string of fine showings. However, today unarguably marked his apex, with his 8.6 rating the highest of anyone on the pitch.
The dynamic defender was good value for that figure too, remaining calm and assured in possession, intelligent when defending and as potent as ever in attack, utilising his immense physicality to threaten throughout
He saw the latter emphasised in his three key passes, with it actually being his delivery that Joel Matip turned into his own net to send the home fans into raptures, via Sofascore. Statman Dave would laud his contribution too, branding him “dangerous” after a stellar afternoon’s work.
And yet, whilst remaining a consistent threat, the £40m whiz would remain perhaps uncharacteristically solid, with those uncertainties around his wing-back preference silenced tonight.
Winning seven of the ten ground duels he competed in, the 24-year-old would also manage five clearances, two blocks, one interception and six tackles, thwarting any threat the severely depleted visitors posed with immense confidence, via Sofascore.
