Wolverhampton Wanderers are still fighting it out to secure a top-half finish in the Premier League this season, although a European spot might just be out of reach.
If they had a slightly easier run-in, then the Old Gold would have fancied their chances of making their way up the table, but fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool could see all their good work this term go up in flames.
Gary O’Neil has built a team capable of reaching impressive highs and if he manages to sign another few quality players this summer, there is no reason why they cannot continue the fine progress they have made during his debut season in charge.
The Molineux side last played in European competition during the 2019/20 season, being knocked out by Spanish side Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Strengthening his squad could see the club reach similar heights and after Paris Saint Germain’s wonderful victory over Barcelona on Tuesday evening, many of the Old Gold faithful would have recognised one of the French club’s star performers – Vitinha.
Vitinha’s statistics for PSG against Barcelona
The Portuguese midfielder ran the show for the French giants during their 4-1 win over the Catalan side to secure progression into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Not only did he score the second goal for PSG on the night, but the former Wolves player also completed 95% of his passes, made two key passes, won four of his seven ground duels contested and lost possession just five times in 90 minutes, a truly wonderful performance.
Goals
1
Assists
0
Key passes
2
Total duels won
4/7
Accurate passes
58/61
It was a far cry from his poor spell in the Midlands, but perhaps if Wolves had persevered with the player at the time, he may have been delivering these sorts of displays in the Premier League.
Vitinha’s spell at Wolves
Wolves signed the then 20-year-old on a season-long loan deal from FC Porto, while they also had an option to sign him permanently if the move went well.
The youngster had shown plenty of promise in Portugal, yet his season in the Midlands didn’t quite live up to expectations as he made just 23 appearances across all competitions, scoring just one goal and grabbing only one assist.
He returned to his parent side at the end of the season and shone during the following campaign, which led to PSG making their move for the talented starlet. He is closing in on 100 appearances for the French side, showcasing his class at the highest level, and the Old Gold must certainly rue letting him slip through their fingers.
They have suffered bigger mistakes recently, however, most notably letting Pedro Goncalves leave for next to nothing in 2019 before he turned into a shining light for Sporting CP.
Pedro Goncalves record for Sporting CP
With Nuno Espírito Santo at the helm, Goncalves was signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2017, with the manager clearly having high hopes the player would emerge as a first-team star.
As it transpired, the attacking midfielder made only one first-team appearance for the Old Gold, turning out in an EFL Cup match during the 2018/19 season, before finally joining Famalicao the following summer for a fee believed to be in the region of £1m.
After a season which saw the youngster register 15 goal contributions – seven goals and eight assists – Sporting took a chance on him, and it has worked out fairly well over the previous few years.
In his maiden season, he helped the club end a 19-year title drought, scoring a quite remarkable 23 goals in the top flight before starring in the Champions League the season after with four goals in just five matches.
Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert dubbed Goncalves as “dangerous” in 2020, and he has gone from strength to strength since.
This season, he has registered 31 goal contributions in the top flight, along with creating 17 big chances, averaging two key passes per game and taking 2.8 shots per game as Sporting look set to win their second title in the previous four seasons.
Pedro Goncalves’ market value at Sporting CP
His recent performances have seen the 25-year-old increase in value. According to Football Transfers, he is now valued at €19.7m (£17m) and there is no doubt this will just continue to rise over the coming months.
While Wolves have plenty of attacking talent in their current squad, Goncalves could certainly be an upgrade on certain members, notably Pedro Neto.
How Pedro Goncalves compares to Pedro Neto
In the Premier League, Neto has registered 11 goal contributions, created seven big chances, averaged two key passes per game along with taking 1.8 shots per game.
Aside from key passes, Goncalves has better statistics across every other metric this term, while he also ranks higher among his positional peers.
Across the men’s next 14 competitions, Goncalves ranks in the top 5% for total shots (3.32), the top 12% for non-penalty goals (0.37) and the top 11% for touches in the opposition penalty area (5.25) per 90, proving he is one of the standout attacking players among his peers.
In comparison, while Neto has shone in spells for Wolves this term, he currently ranks in the lowest 88% for non-penalty goals (0.10), the bottom 65% for total shots per 90 (1.99) and the top 37% for touches in the opposition penalty area (4.65) per 90, clearly showcasing a massive gap in figures.
Of course, Neto is being compared to players among the top five leagues in Europe, yet it is evident that Goncalves has been a far better-attacking threat, not only this season, but over the previous four campaigns.
If Wolves knew how good the 25-year-old was going to turn out, then there is absolutely no chance that they would have sold him for peanuts five years ago.
They must certainly rue this massive mistake as the Sporting CP gem is running amok in Portugal, while Neto is currently out injured yet again.
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