After joining Atlético Madrid for almost $32 million from Hertha BSC, Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha will join 20th-ranked Wolves to help them out of the relegation zone.
Cunha, who joined Atleti in August 2021, was ready to bring more firepower to a team fresh off a winning LaLiga season. But Cunha found himself on the bench behind the likes of Joao Félix, Ángel Correa and Antoine Griezmann. In the few minutes that he had, he showed signs of brilliance, but it was not enough to get promoted to the first team.
Hard year for Atleti and Matheus Cunha
It’s been more of the same for the striker with eight caps this season. In the midst of a difficult year for Atleti (he is fifth in LaLiga, and the last time he finished fifth was in 2012), Cunha has only started twice and played 11 LaLiga games. Despite his two assists off the bench, he’s been buried under the plethora of options they currently have.
Cunha’s reported loan with a mandatory future fee of around $53 million will go down as his most experienced transfer to date. It comes just six months after the Wolves shelled out a combined $54 million on attackers Goncalo Guedes and Sasa Kalajdzic.
However, Kalajdzic tore his ACL 45 minutes into his season debut, ending his season. Combined with the fact that Guedes has been somewhat mediocre, he’s made for the worst offense in the league. It’s the main reason Wolves have targeted Cunha, along with other playmakers. Wolves are reportedly sniffing out free agent Isco and Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi.
My heart will always have a little piece of Atleti! You always had my everything simply because I felt like you gave me everything. Thank you very much Cuna.
Matheus Cunha has announced his emotional departure from Atlético de Madrid
Analyzing the transfer
This could be one of the shrewdest transfers of all time to save struggling Wolves, or it could be yet another dent in sporting director Matt Hobbs’ record. The purchase of a struggling wunderkind starving for first-team football will be arguably Wolves’ biggest risk of all time.
Julen Lopetegui knows Cunha well; in fact, Cunha got an assist in Atleti’s 2-0 win over Sevilla. He should know Cunha’s untapped potential; that he is a raw talent and that he has the potential to become a good Premier League player. But it should also Cunha can become one of the Premier League’s biggest flops as well, especially with all of Wolves’ attackers vying for more playing time.
If Cunha can fulfill his potential and get Wolves out of the net, he’ll fit perfectly into Lopetegui’s preferred 4-3-3. He is more comfortable as a center forward, but has experience playing as a winger on both sides. Cunha has also played as an attacking midfielder with some success.
Cunha needs to prove Diego Simeone wrong and reward the steep transfer fee with a fast start. It’s possible, as his early years at Hertha BSC show, but one might wonder if he’s smart enough to beat the competition for Wolves’ meager attacking spots, let alone succeed in the ultra-competitive Premier League. .
The best way to start is a clash with 17th-placed Everton. Despite their low position in the table, Everton have conceded fourth-fewest goals with just 17, trailing only City, Arsenal and Newcastle. Cunha will then take on seventh-placed Chelsea before kicking off the New Year with a rivalry game against 12th-placed Sevilla.
Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
