Matheus Cunha rejected Premier League transfer before joining Wolves for one rarely-seen reason
Matheus Cunha rejected Premier League transfer before joining Wolves for one rarely-seen reason
Matheus Cunha has been Wolves’ saviour this season as the forward continues to go from strength to strength in the Premier League.
When Wolves signed Cunha, it was clear that the Old Gold had obtained a player of great quality but, work was needed to make the 25-year-old into the star he is today.
At the point of the Brazilian’s arrival, the forward had failed to score in 15 appearances for Atletico Madrid in 2022/23, something that’s now difficult to imagine.
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Cunha has directly contributed to 41 goals for Wolves in all competitions, finding a place to call home in the Premier League.
Matheus Cunha rejected a Premier League transfer before joining Wolves
Though some expect Cunha to leave Wolves at the end of the season, those at Molineux will savour whatever time they have left with the Brazil international.
Capturing the former Atletico Madrid man was an astronomical success for the club, who are almost guaranteed to make a profit on the player they paid £44m for.
What many may not know is that Wolves weren’t Cunha’s only way into the English top flight, as the forward admitted back in 2021.
Speaking to Brazilian outlet UOL, Cunha reminisced on the time leading up to the 2020 Olympic Games, where the Wolves star revealed interest from the Premier League.
“I had offers from England during the process, but I didn’t even think about accepting them for a very special reason for me: the Brazilian national team.”
For many players, moving to a league as competitive as the Premier League is considered a boost for international recognition but, Cunha explained why he believed the opposite at the time.
“I was doing very well with the under-23 team, I was the top scorer in the pre-Olympic tournament when I received offers from the Premier League, but the teams wanted to take me out of the national team and wouldn’t let me go.”
The attacker, who represented Hertha Berlin at the time of the interview, insisted that his chances with the Selecao came before any opportunity for domestic success.
“I will never leave the Brazilian national team aside. Playing for the national team is my priority, regardless of the category. I’ve dreamed about it since I was little,” he said.
“There’s no way I could move to a club that would stop me. The English teams are for next time. The Olympics are coming.”
Premier League clubs now want Cunha even more
Cunha said no to a move to England before joining Atletico Madrid, which was good news for Wolves, who went on to land the superstar in the 2023 winter market.
While Wolves won that race, it could now be that the Old Gold pass the baton onto another club, with plenty of interest building around the forward.
As many as six clubs were interested in Cunha in the January window, including Arsenal, Chelsea Tottenham and Manchester United.
Now that Cunha is protected by a release clause, there’s added incentive for clubs to take him from Wolves’ grasp, with a mere fee of £62.5m required to lure the goalscorer from Molineux.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Cunha, who will surely remain in England given how he’s settled in the league.
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