Brighton & Hove Albion could be the surprise source of Wolves’ replacement for Matheus Cunha.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are expected to lose talismanic attacker Matheus Cunha when the summer transfer window opens on June 1.
Manchester United have reportedly reached a full agreement on personal terms with Cunha and the Red Devils are set to activate the forward’s £62.5 million release clause. Wolves were afforded some hope that they may keep hold of Cunha for another season or several when he signed a new contract in February to ward off interest from the likes of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but it quickly became apparent that he was setting himself up for a summer exit.
Wolves fans will have mixed reactions to Cunha’s departure. Some will feel bitter towards the Brazilian for ditching Wanderers for a team that’s not even in European football next year, while others will be understanding of his ambitions to play for a bigger club. Some may share both beliefs, and all perspectives are perfectly understandable.
One thing you can’t take away from Cunha, though, is the fact that he’s been an excellent servant to the football club. Without his 15 goals and six assists in 32 Premier League appearances this season, Wanderers would have been a lot closer to relegation reckoning. Even when the Old Gold were struggling in 19th, Cunha was still shining through as the bright spark.
It’s rare that any divorce is completely amicable but, regardless of the emotions surrounding Cunha’s exit, Wolves must turn their attention to his potential replacement. Vitor Pereira, preferring a three-back formation with one striker and two wide forwards, will be looking to bring in someone who can play off the left and drift inside.
Birmingham World understands Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee is being considered as one possible option. The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in 936 minutes across all competitions his season, impressing most with a hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup back in November.
Wolves should attempt swoop for Brighton hot prospect
As much as McAtee would be a great option for Wolves, a plethora of Premier League and European clubs are interested and it won’t be an easy deal to complete. Alternatives should be considered, then. In our view, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Julio Enciso should be added to Wanderers’ shortlist.
The Paraguay international, the runner-up in the 2023 FIFA Puskas Award for his 30-yard rocket against Manchester City, can play as an attacking midfielder, a second striker or a left winger. He’s not been at Brighton for the second half of this season as the Seagulls opted to loan him to Ipswich Town to progress, but that doesn’t mean he’s not already capable of starting for Wolves.
Enciso isn’t at Cunha’s level just yet and may never quite get there, but he’s certainly a top talent. The 21-year-old loves to progress forward with the ball at his feet and has a great eye for a pass, while he’s very much a shoot-on-sight kind of player. Only former Aston Villa man Jhon Duran, with 4.5, has registered more shots per 90 minutes than Enciso this season.
Ipswich fans haven’t had much to cheer this campaign with their relegation secured with four games to play but Enciso has been a bright spark, along with Liam Delap. Two goals and three assists in 12 Premier League starts for the Tractor Boys is a decent return for Enciso, who will be keen to kick on next campaign.
It awaits to be seen if Brighton would be open to letting Enciso go permanently but Fabian Hurzeler has so many options in the attacking midfield position - including Brajan Gruda, a similar profile to Enciso - and could therefore be tempted to sell if a sufficient offer arrives. Enciso’s current market value stands at €22 million (£18.5m), as per Transfermarkt.
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