Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a tough start to their Premier League campaign but have showcased enough under Gary O’Neil to suggest that the year ahead will be a successful one.
Last season’s 14th place finish is illustrative of such, with the Old Gold written off by many and predicted to finish on the wrong side of the dreaded dotted line after sales to key players including midfielders Matheus Nunes and Ruben Neves, defenders Nathan Collins and Conor Coady and main goal source Raul Jimenez.
Julen Lopetegui’s flight from the helm at the start of the season only exacerbated the supposed quandary, but Wolves proved the worth of a drilled and together unit, never looking likely to fall into the bottommost scramble.
Moreover, last year’s sales put Molineux in a good position regarding the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR), but a couple of saddening sales have still been enforced.
Why Wolves sold Kilman & Neto
In July, Max Kilman concluded his time as Wolves skipper upon completing a £40m transfer to West Ham United. The move saw the 27-year-old reunite with Lopetegui, and while his rounded qualities offered something distinct at the rear, the sum was too good to turn down.
The fact that he still hasn’t been replaced as we enter the final week of the transfer window is somewhat disquieting, but O’Neil’s outfit have been linked with a host of names and there is hope that an impactful replacement will be brought in.
Pedro Neto, at least, was prudently replaced before Chelsea had even advanced to sign the talented winger, who has now finalised a £54m move to the Blues and completed his first two appearances.
Indeed, Rodrigo Gomes joined from Braga for £13m and has the technical quality and positional flexibility to grow into a worthy successor.
And again, £54m for a player who averaged 15 Premier League starts per season across his five years at the club is not bad business at all, however influential he may have been when on the pitch.
2023/24
20 (18)
2
9
2022/23
18 (13)
0
1
2021/22
13 (5)
1
1
2020/21
31 (30)
5
6
2019/20
29 (9)
3
3
Such exits appear to have closed the door on the major summer outgoings, though there is one player in O’Neil’s squad who would actually fetch a prettier penny than both Kilman and Neto.
Matheus Cunha's Wolves career so far
The man in question is none other than Matheus Cunha, who has gone from strength to strength since joining Wolves from Atletico Madrid on loan in January 2023.
The 25-year-old’s move was made permanent just one month later for a €50m (£42m) fee, and he has since enjoyed incremental improvements that have highlighted the natural-born quality that speaks of his acumen and ability to skyrocket to the very forefront of the continental game.
Sure, he had a slow start to life on English shores, netting twice across 17 games as he waded deeper into the division under Lopetegui, but his hitherto lack of potency was cast away like a punctured ball, hardly on the minds of the Wolves faithful after his success across his first full term at the outfit.
Matches (starts)
17 (12)
32 (29)
Goals
2
12
Assists
0
7
Shots (on target)*
1.5 (0.4)
2.3 (1.2)
Touches*
0.4
0.9
Pass completion
76%
82%
Key passes*
0.4
0.9
Dribbles*
1.5 (76%)
2.0 (51%)
Ball recoveries*
4.7
4.2
Total duels won*
3.6 (41%)
5.0 (43%)
The improvements under O’Neil’s leadership have been remarkable, with Cunha now regarded as “one of the best players” at the club, according to journalist Dean Jones.
As per FBref, the £60k-per-week forward ranks among the top 10% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 11% for pass completion and passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons and the top 15% for tackles per 90.
It’s a fine illustration of the multi-skilled quality that attracted Wolves in the first place, and, as such, is exemplified through transfer attention from some high-profile suitors, including Manchester United.
Matheus Cunha's market value in 2024
Wolves started the season with defeat at Arsenal and will have to string together some good runs of form to ensure they stay away from the pull of the reglation battle.
Cunha will be crucial in achieving this, and after losing an attacking talisman in Neto, it would be detrimental for another to fall from O’Neil’s clutches. Hailed as the “complete player” in the past by Lopetegui, he offers something irreplaceable in terms of his movement, link-up play and creative faculty across a number of positions.
But it’s this very skillset that has led the Red Devils to consider a £60m summer swoop. According to Caught Offside, INEOS were willing to raise Cunha’s £60k-per-week wages by double, but after completing a £36.5m deal for Joshua Zirkzee, a dynamic forward who claimed the Serie A’s Young Player of the Year for 2023/24, their interest halted.
Let’s all breathe a belated sigh of relief. Zirkzee’s arrival and debut goal in the Premier League suggests that United will not look to fork out a significant fee for Wolves’ star forward, not with the young and exciting Rasmus Hojlund also working his way back from injury.
But it does go to show that Cunha might just be the cream of Molineux’s crop, for his £60m sale would eclipse that of Neto and Kilman and perhaps even anyone else that might attract transfer attention before the window slams shut in one week.
Cunha has three years remaining on his deal, so there’s plenty of time yet for a worrying transfer saga to dominate a market window, but for now, let’s all enjoy the magic that awaits this year.
Talks held: Wolves could repeat Gomes masterclass with £30m "monster"
Man United are also interested in this talent…
ByAngus Sinclair Aug 23, 2024