Wolves flop who left in 2021 is now worth £76m & better than Neves
Gary O’Neil and his Wolves side have had a tough start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, losing to Arsenal and Chelsea already, before getting a draw against Nottingham Forest to gain their first point of the season.
One area Wolves were looking to recruit over the summer was midfield, once dominated by a Portuguese trio of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Matheus Nunes. The central department at Molineux has certainly lost a lot of quality in the past few years.
Neves made 48 appearances for Al-Hilal last season in all competitions last season, scoring seven goals, and providing 12 assists in 4,073 minutes.
While Andre was signed from Brazilian shores, they must lust after the return of one player, in particular. That man is midfield sensation Vitinha.
Vitinha’s time at Wolves
Vitinha spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan with Wolves, making 22 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist in his 711 minutes played. That sole goal – a long-range stunner – came against Chorley in the FA Cup.
The midfielder played alongside the likes of Neves and Moutinho under manager Nuno Espírito Santo, finishing 13th in the Premier League that season.
The Portugal international initially came through the ranks at Porto, making 59 appearances for their senior team either side of his loan to Wolves, before earning a move to PSG in 2022, joining the club for around €40m (£33.7m).
Since then, he’s certainly become a fine young talent, one that’s currently valued at £76m by the Parisiens.
Vitinha vs Neves comparison
Vitinha is now a key figure at PSG, making 46 appearances last season for the French giants in all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing five assists.
It’s safe to say he’s been pretty good. So good in fact that he’s incredibly among the Ballon d’Or nominees for 2024. That’s a far cry from that wintery night in Chorley, isn’t it?
Whilst Vitinha is now entering his prime years, his ex-colleague Neves is currently spending his final playing years in Saudi Arabia. The duo are playing at different levels, but Wolves could certainly do with the passing qualities of either one of these midfielders right now. Here’s how they compare…
Vitinha has really started to establish himself as one of the best passers in Europe, completing 7.84 progressive passes per 90, thus ranking within the top 7% of midfielders on the continent for that statistic.
