Celtic get last laugh with £8m ace relegated months after Hoops snub

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If you strain your ears and catch wind of a chuckle on the breeze, then that’s probably the faint sound of Celtic enjoying their ‘last laugh’. 

According to the Daily Mail, Celtic had hoped to lure Vinicius Souza to Scotland during the summer of 2022; Ange Postecoglou’s side scheduling talks for a rangy, 6ft 2ins defensive midfielder who averaged the best ball-winning figures in Belgium’s top-flight in 2021/22. 

But once Espanyol entered the chat, Vini wasted little time in leaving the Hoops on ‘read’. 

“I did hear a lot about the club. I always watched a lot of La Liga games. When they (Espanyol) told me they wanted me, I forgot about everything else and came to Barcelona,” he explained.  

“There was something inside me that called me to sign for Espanyol.” 

Vinicius listened to his heart when putting pen to paper with the Catalan outfit 10 months ago. With hindsight, he may feel he should have listened to his head instead. Because, while Celtic cruised to yet another Premiership title under Ange Postecoglou, securing direct entry into the Champions League group stages along the way, Vinicius’ debut season in La Liga ended not with a title, nor European qualification. 

Will Vinicius Souza regret turning down Celtic move?

Samuel Lino’s 93^rd minute heartbreaker during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Valencia means Espanyol will be playing second-tier football again in 2023/24; relegated with one La Liga matchday still to play.

Like top-scorer and team-mate Joselu – reportedly on his way to Real Madrid – 23-year-old Vinicius cannot really be blamed for Espanyol’s demise He averaging the second-most successful tackles per game in La Liga, after all. Los Pericos certainly would be a lot worse off if it wasn’t for their Rio-born enforcer’s industry and influence. 

But any hopes Vinicius had of staying for the long haul – the £8 million-rated Brazilian is only on loan at the RCDE Stadium from Lommel – probably went up in smoke when Lino smashed that stoppage time strike into the roof of Espanyol’s net.  

“I can’t talk too much about it, because it’s not in my hands,” Vinicius said in the spring. “But I’d love to stay.” 

The good news is that, a la the Bernabeu-bound Joselu, Vinicius Souza did enough to ensure he climbs out the wreckage of relegation with his reputation largely unscathed.