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Wolves manager Vitor Pereira has sent a subtle message to Arsenal ahead of a possible summer transfer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Vitor Pereira has made a harsh admission involving in-demand attacker Matheus Cunha.
Heavily linked with a summer transfer to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, Cunha is one of the Premier League’s most wanted players. The Brazil international was a shining light when Wolves were down in the doldrums at the start of the season, and he’s continued his fine form into the recent better days under Pereira.
The time has come for Cunha to depart Molineux, though, with the 25-year-old attainable if clubs pay his new £62.5 million release clause, which will be active from July. Man Utd are reportedly leading the race but Arsenal aren’t too far behind, while every other Premier League club mentioned - or sides from abroad - could yet rear their heads before the transfer window opens.
Wolves and Pereira have conceded internally that Cunha will not be playing for the club next season, so plans are already been drawn up to replace him. But even at this late stage in Cunha’s Wanderers career, Pereira is still figuring out the player’s tactical nuances and has issued a subtle warning to clubs interested, with Arsenal perhaps the most relevant in this case.
When Wolves lost 1-0 away at Manchester City recently, Pereira was without striker Jorgen Strand Larsen due to a groin strain. As Wanderers don’t have great depth up top, Pereira was forced to use a player out of position. Cunha was the one selected to lead the line and Pereira soon concluded it was a mistake.
Strand Larsen still wasn’t fit enough to start for the weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion but Pereira decided against playing Cunha in his place, instead fielding Goncalo Guedes as an auxiliary number nine. That didn’t really work, either, as Wolves were fairly toothless for much of the encounter.
“I realised that we cannot play with Cunha as a striker because he’s not a striker,” Pereira reflected after the Brighton defeat. “He’s a player who wants and likes to play between the lines, to come down to receive the ball. Missing, in my opinion against [Manchester] City, was the movement in the space.”
Vitor Pereira sends subtle transfer warning to Arsenal
You’d think Cunha would be a decent striker option due to his pace, flair, technical ability and clinical finishing ability. There’s no doubt that the Brazilian is better when he can cut in from the flank or charge forward through the centre, but most would presume he’d be more than capable of playing a little more advanced.
But Pereira clearly disagrees and Arsenal can feel warned by the Wolves manager’s comments. Man Utd are reportedly eager to utilise Cunha as a number 10 with Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap as a potential striker signing, but Arsenal seem keen on Cunha playing a little further forward in attack as they seek to address their centre-forward woes.
If Pereira’s words are anything to go by, the Gunners should either sign Cunha as an attacking midfielder or look elsewhere for a more out-and-out number nine. It awaits to be seen exactly how Arsenal’s new technical director Andrea Berta sees Cunha fitting in, but it appears the Wolves talisman is a priority target.
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