Matheus Cunha has had something of a strange career.
By Sam McGuire
Aged just 18, he left Brazilian club Coritiba to join Swiss side Sion. After scoring 10 in 32 appearances for them, he was snapped up by RB Leipzig. The fact he had the Red Bull approval was supposed to be a clear indication that Cunha was destined for big things. The fizzy drinks backed football club made a habit out of identifying potential and helping them develop.
RB Leipzig graduates are scattered across Europe at some of the biggest clubs. It just didn’t happen for the versatile forward though.
He scored one of the goals of the season against Bayern Leverkusen during his debut campaign with Die Roten Bullen but that moment of genius was an exception rather than the norm.
After limited appearances and just two Bundesliga goals, he joined German rivals Hertha Berlin in January 2020. His time in the capital was plagued by inconsistency and it was a surprise to everyone when Atlético Madrid paid €30million for his services during the summer transfer window of 2021.
He spent just 18 months under Diego Simeone, scoring seven goals across all competitions, before he found refuge at Molineux with Wolves. The move was turned into a permanent one when the Premier League side agreed to pay €50million for the forward. Again, it was a fee that raised a lot of eyebrows.
Now, though, it is looking like money well spent.
The Brazil international is currently one of the most in-form attackers in the English top-flight. And, according to multiple reports, he’s being chased by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
He was the highest-rated FotMob player of Matchday 12 with a 9.3 for his performance against Fulham. The 25-year-old scored twice and assisted in the 4-1 win for Wolves, a victory that lifted them out of the dropzone.
The 11-cap international now has seven goals and three assists in 976 minutes this term. He’s well on course to better his career-high return of 12 goals and seven assists, a haul he put up last season.
Cunha has a goal involvement in six of his last eight appearances for Wolves. He blanked against Manchester City and Liverpool, but that is understandable. He has nine goal involvements across this period though, scoring against Fulham, Southampton, Brighton, Brentford and Villa while also chipping in with assists against Fulham, Southampton and Crystal Palace.This goalscoring run coincides with Wolves going on a four-match unbeaten streak and escaping the bottom three.
The Wolves No. 10 has now been involved in 26 goals in his past 29 league starts with 17 goals and nine assists.
His latest strike for Gary O’Neil’s side could well be named the Goal of the Month.
He curled an unbelievable effort beyond Bernd Leno from outside of the penalty area. His shot placement turned an effort with an Expected Goals value of 0.04 into one with an Expected Goals on Target value of 0.36.
Speaking after the game against Fulham, he said: ‘I’m so happy. We try to have these kinds of shots in training. The gaffer comes to me and says: “Please do this in a game, please help me!”.’
Wolves are desperate to keep hold of their star performer. His boss recently likened him to some of the best in the Premier League, saying: “Everyone knows how important he is to us, but also important to recognise the work that he’s put in since he has been here. This isn’t the Matheus Cunha that arrived at Wolves.
“I love working with him because the penny has definitely dropped that he can be a top player. There were gaps before and he works every single day to be as good as he can be. I love working with him. His talent is incredible, obviously. But if you watch the top players, they’re able to do it week in week out. Watch people like Bernardo Silva, Martin Ødegaard. They’re all top with or without the ball and Matheus, the numbers he’s producing at the minute are up there with everybody. He’s going to stay at Wolves for as long as possible, firstly. But after that, there’s no limit to where he can go.”
He is running exceptionally hot at this moment in time. It likely isn’t going to last but he’s still going to be a serious threat and the main man for Wolves. For example, he’s scoring 0.65 goals per 90 this term from an Expected Goals average of just 0.29 and an Expected Goals on Target total of 0.24. He’s had a lot of luck as his finishing hasn’t been great. But the biggest takeaway from all of this is that he’s making things happen.
Combine his xG with his Expected Assists average (0.21) and you have a player with an xG Involvement of 0.5 per 90, all while playing for a struggling side. He’s also completing almost 60% of his attempted dribbles, so he’s creating space as well as opportunities.
Cunha went a long way about it but he’s finally delivering the sort of performances many thought would be the norm when he was snapped up by RB Leipzig as a teenager. If this form continues for the fleet-footed forward, he’ll be back playing in the Champions League as Europe’s elite will pry him away from a relegation battle.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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