Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters will be jumping for joy that they still have Matheus Cunha at their beloved club, considering the explosive Brazilian was linked with a mega-money move away in the winter transfer window.
Instead of seeking out pastures new at either Arsenal or Nottingham Forest, however, the ex-Atletico Madrid ace would pen a new contract at Molineux until 2029, with a release clause around the £60m mark now in play.
Signing Cunha for £43m back in January 2023 has definitely proven to be a wise investment, therefore, with the Old Gold powerhouse twisting and turning table-topping Liverpool for fun last time out.
Cunha's unbelievable Wolves form
Indeed, without Cunha’s constant magic, Vitor Pereira’s men would potentially be deep in relegation trouble.
Off the back of his curled strike hitting the back of Alisson’s net at Anfield, the sensational South American is up to a jaw-dropping 12 goals and four assists in league action from just 24 clashes this season, hence higher-up suitors rightly taking notice.
With the same amount of goals under his belt last campaign, on top of three more assists, it goes without saying that the 25-year-old will likely leave the Old Gold down the line for mega bucks, especially with that tempting release clause now in view.
Before any talk of a transfer away progresses, Cunha will hope his continued excellence sees his current side stay up in the top-flight, with the Premier League bottom three no doubt cursing Wolves for having such a dynamite player in their ranks.
But, in another reality, Pereira’s men could have been boosted in attack even more with the arrival of this superstar for just £21m in the summer of 2023, with the lethal marksman now worth even more than Cunha.
The "world class" striker now worth more than Cunha
The Old Gold would have been pleased to get Cunha in through the door in January of the same year, but there must still be a lingering regret in the air in the West Midlands all the same.
After all, Viktor Gyokeres – after building a reputation for being a feared goalscorer in the EFL at nearby Coventry City – would further show off his unerring class in front of goal at Sporting, leaving Wolves with a sense of what could have been if they’d pushed harder for his cut-price signature, having been among the clubs interested prior to his move to Portugal.
From 116 games donning the Sky Blue jersey of Coventry, the deadly Swede would fire home a reasonable 43 strikes. Now, in Portugal, Gyokeres has become even more of a ruthless beast, with a sublime 34 goals coming his way this season from 36 clashes.
That’s amazingly 21 more than Cunha has helped himself to in all competitions back in England, with Gyokeres even labelled now as “world class”, according to the BBC’s Noah Mcilroy, which has led to his transfer value skyrocketing whilst in Lisbon.
Stat
Gyokeres
Games played
86
Goals scored
77
Assists
23
Hat tricks
5x
Original fee
£20m
Release clause value
£84m
Sourced by Transfermarkt
As can be seen looking at the table above, off the back of his devastating form in the Portuguese capital, Gyokeres has a hefty £84m release clause value now next to his name, which may have deterred any bids coming Sporting’s way during the peak of the Swede’s goalscoring powers.
However, new reports have suggested that Gyokeres could leave Rui Borges’ titans for a lesser £63m, which is still a smidge more than Cunha’s touted available price of £60m.
It does look likely that Sporting’s electric number nine will move back to England at some point – with Manchester United and others circling from the Premier League – as Wolves’ bad fortune could be compounded even more if the Scandinavian bags a goal past the Old Gold in the top-flight very soon.
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ByTom CunninghamFeb 14, 2025