Nuno Espírito Santo won’t like what’s just come out about Nottingham Forest target Matheus Cunha
Nottingham Forest look set for another transfer window of links to Matheus Cunha, but recent data has shown one aspect of the Brazilian’s play that Nuno Espirito Santo won’t be impressed by.
Forest received a boost in their pursuit of Cunha as it was revealed that his release clause will mean that a summer purchase will be cheaper than the figures mentioned during Forest’s rumoured pursuit in January.
Throughout the winter window, Evangelos Marinakis made signing a striker a priority which made the Brazilian a clear favourite for the role, so much so that Forest were prepared to break their club transfer record for Cunha.
The deal never game off, though, and Cunha revealed he never wanted to leave Wolves. The 25-year-old will undoubtedly be available to purchase in the summer which could tempt Forest back into the mix, but a fresh data set has given Espirito Santo food for thought as to whether Cunha is the right fit.
Matheus Cunha revealed as one of the Premier League’s laziest players
Cunha was Marinakis’ top January target so it would make sense to assume that the Reds would go all out once again to sign the Brazilian forward, but the Forest manager won’t like what has been revealed about Cunha’s work rate.
According to Opta Analyst, Cunha tops the Premier League for the longest time spent walking during games as an outfield player, not breaking into a jog for an alarming 77.6% of the time.
Cunhas’s 13 goals and four assists certainly suggest that he is effective with his sprinting, but the lack of hard work on show will not please the Forest coaching staff who demand effort from all players on the pitch.
There are already question marks around the Wolves man’s attitude, as Cunha started a brawl against Bournemouth to earn himself a suspension. However, the consistency of his work rate will be more concerning to Espirito Santo given what he demands from Chris Wood.
Matheus Cunha would need to match Chris Wood’s work rate
Perhaps overlooked by most, Fabian Hurzeler hailed Wood’s work rate as one of the key reasons for his incredible season at the City Ground, in which he’s scored 18 Premier League goals.
If Cunha continues to display his low levels of effort off the ball, Espirito Santo would have little interest in playing the Brazilian over the Kiwi international.
Every opposition manager has only positive things to say about the 33-year-old, with former boss Eddie Howe happy to see Wood thriving at Forest. Therefore, it will always be difficult to find a new striker who will actually depose Wood in the Forest squad.
However, if it is going to be Cunha, he has even less of a chance given his inability to match Wood’s work rate, meaning that Marinakis needs to think hard about whether his top target in January is the correct addition to Espirito Santo’s squad.
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