Matheus Cunha is undoubtedly one of Wolves' key men, but for how much longer will the Molineux faithful get to savour the attacking exploits of their brilliant Brazilian?
Recent comments from Cunha didn’t go down too well with Wolves fans, who turned on their top scorer after he seemingly issued a come-and-get-me plea.
The 25-year-old only signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal in February, so what did he really mean?
'It's impossible for players to be honest,' says Wolves star, Matheus Cunha
Signed permanently by Wolves after an initial loan spell from Atletico Madrid in 2023, Cunha has scored 27 Premier League goals since the start of last season.
The 13-cap Brazil international’s impressive performances for a Wolves team who have tended to languish towards the lower reaches of the top-flight table have seen him linked with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.
Indeed, Cunha admitted to the Observer that he had “had a lot of offers” from elsewhere during the winter transfer window. However, he went on to say that he “couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone”.
But then came the words which really riled his own supporters. “Now, we’re close to achieving our goal [of staying up],” he acknowledged. “But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
In light of the backlash from the Wolves fan base, Cunha has sought to clarify his remarks from that interview.
The former RB Leipzig forward took to social media on Monday in an effort to try and diffuse the situation.
Cunha posted a screenshot of the ire-provoking quote to his Instagram Story and appeared to claim that it had been misconstrued.
“And how do they get clicks? It’s impossible for the player to be honest in an interview knowing that everything can be taken in any way he wants,” he lamented.
Will Cunha still be a Wolves player come the end of the summer transfer window? Well, speculation over his future seems unlikely to go away.
But with questions over his temperament – he’s been banned twice this season, for swiping away the glasses of a member of Ipswich’s security staff and for headbutting Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez – one has to wonder whether clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal would be willing to meet the reported £62.5m release clause in his contract.
