Wolverhampton Wanderers must bolster their squad this summer if they are to challenge the top half of the table under Vitor Pereira.
It appears as though the manager has done enough during his short stint to maintain the Old Gold’s Premier League status, for another year at least, but an interesting summer window is on the horizon.
vitor pereira
Could the Portuguese boss raid another top-flight club for a player who enjoyed an excellent spell at Molineux between 2017 and 2020? Diogo Jota has been linked with a return.
Wolves' interest in re-signing Jota
According to reports from earlier this week, Wolves are showing interest in bringing back Jota to the club after nearly five years away from the Midlands.
It appears as though Liverpool are looking to cash in on the winger, who has missed 93 matches since joining the Anfield side, and Wolves could be the frontrunners.
A return of 64 goals and 22 assists for the Reds across 174 matches is a more than respectable return by Jota, but Arne Slot is looking to go in a different direction next season.
Liverpool striker Diogo Jota
Pereira, however, has a player in his first-team squad who might be even better than Jota and is certainly worth more than him in the current market…
The Wolves star who's worth more than Jota
There won't be many supporters who would want to know what position the club would be in if it weren’t for Matheus Cunha’s efforts in front of goal this term. Across 26 Premier League games, Cunha has scored 13 goals while providing four assists for the Old Gold.
The South American forward scores every 165 minutes in the top flight for Wolves, along with registering 3.3 shots, averaging 1.7 key passes and succeeding with 1.9 dribbles each game.
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Add in the fact he has created 12 big chances for Wolves, it becomes clear that Cunha is equally adept at scoring or providing teammates with plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net.
Comparing Cunha & Jota in the PL this season
Metric
Goals
Assists
Big chances created
Shots per game
Key passes per game
Successful dribbles per game
Stats via Sofascore
Former Man City defender Micah Richards praised Cunha on Match of the Day 2 in November, saying: "His football IQ is absolutely sensational. He's the one who can unlock the doors. He finds the little pockets of space and makes the right decisions at the right times.
"He's always scanning where he needs to be and always plays the right pass. He is so key in what Wolves are trying to do. He is the best at everything.”
That importance is shown by his soaring market value. Indeed, Jota is currently worth €45m (£38m), as per Transfermarkt, and Liverpool will be looking for this sort of figure to let him leave Anfield in the summer.
Cunha, on the other hand, is currently valued at €55m (£46m) by Transfermarkt and this value will only keep increasing, especially considering how impressive the Brazilian has been this season for Wolves.
matheus cunha
If, and it is a big if, Wolves can keep him for the 2025/26 season, then they have to build a team around the former Atlético Madrid star.
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