Nottingham Forest have been keen to sign a player with the surname Cunha for quite some time, but the one set to arrive at the City Ground isn’t the one that most people expected to check in.
Evangelos Marinakis wanted a striker in January. As a result, Forest looked at getting Matheus Cunha from Wolves, but the player instead chose to sign a new contract and remain at Molineux until the end of the season.
Cunha has now signed for Manchester United. Despite the Red Devils not playing in Europe next season, he’s clearly seen something in the Old Trafford project to end months of speculation over his future.
Fear not, though, Forest fans, as a Cunha is still on his way. Central defender Jair Cunha is set to join the Reds, with Igor Jesus and left-back Cuiabano also coming to the City Ground from Botafogo, and the enforcer was in action against Santos last night.
Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images
Jair Cunha stars during Santos vs Botafogo as Neymar is sent off
The game might have finished in a pretty drab 1-0 win for the reigning Brazilian champions, but it was a contest jam-packed with incident, including the legendary Brazil performer Neymar getting his marching orders.
Cunha is a 6ft 5in central defender, and last night he managed to get himself an assist late in the piece. His in-swinging cross in the 86th minute saw Artur Victor Guimaraes score to give Botafogo a big three points.
The goal came after Neymar was dismissed in the 76th minute in a comical incident. Already on a booking, the 128-cap star decided that he would try to score with his fist as a defender closed him down, but sadly, he didn’t escape the attention of the match officials and was sent off.
Forest have moved quickly to sign these three players during the summer transfer window. The trio will first play in the Club World Cup with Botafogo and then move to the City Ground for pre-season with their new club.
MORE FOREST STORIES
Jair Cunha stats vs Santos
It looks as though Forest have got themselves a very decent defender, at least if this performance is anything to go by, with the player starring against a Santos side who are in dire form.
Cunha led by example defensively and it would appear as though he’s going to prove a very useful addition to the Forest squad with UEFA Conference League football on the table next season.
Jair Cunha stats vs Santos Total
Minutes 90
Assists 1
Clearances 5
Pass Accuracy 93%
Accurate Long Balls 2
Ground Duels Won 2
Aerial Duels Won 3/3
Recoveries 2
Forest-bound Jair Cunha stats vs Santos
The 20-year-old was coming up against his former club last night. Clearly, he had a bit of a point to prove, with Cunha leaving Santos for Botafogo following just 24 appearances for the club.
He’s now made 17 appearances for Botafogo and although he’s young, there is a sense that he can be capable of making a similar impact to that of Murillo when he does finally check in at the City Ground ready to embark on a career with Forest.