In a relatively quiet January transfer window, Nottingham Forest’s rumoured pursuit of Matheus Cunha was a potential game changer.
Forest’s interest in Cunha came at a time when the club was clearly looking to add attacking firepower in January to relieve pressure on Chris Wood, with Evangelos Marinakis prioritizing a striker.
The Brazilian also had interest from Arsenal but Forest were willing to smash their transfer record for Cunha as Marinakis made his intentions known. However, no transaction was ever completed, leaving the speculations to simmer in anticipation of a possible resurrection in the summer.
Cunha will be available for £62.5 million this summer if Forest wish to revive their interest in Marinakis’ financial muscle. Even so, Wolves are still fighting for relegation in the Premier League, which might put Cunha’s parent club under pressure.
However, a move to any team is contingent on Cunha genuinely wishing to leave the Midlands club, which is not assured based on his recent comments.
Matheus Cunha didn’t want to leave Wolves in January
In the aftermath of the transfer window, it was discovered that Forest were never close to signing a striker, which chilled any future interest in Cunha.
Cunha signed a new agreement with Wolves as the window closed, and according to his most recent interview with Match of the Day, he never meant to leave in January.
The Wolves man stated, “I never consider leaving [Wolves] honestly. I understand I have a lot on my plate already, but I’ve always stated that this was the club that offered me the opportunity to return.
“They opened the door for me, and I’ve always wanted to return everything, so leaving in this situation is difficult. I’m quite thrilled to be here. I aspire to keep doing wonderful things.
Given that Forest intends to sign a striker in the summer, this may come as a disappointment, as Marinakis made Cunha his priority in January.
However, Forest has been linked with a number of strikers, including a fellow Brazilian who could provide greater value for the Reds.
Yuri Alberto could be a better signing than Matheus Cunha.
According to reports, Forest have been in communication with Yuri Alberto’s agency about a prospective summer move for the Brazilian, which might cost up to £25 million.
This is more than half the price of Cunha’s £62.5 million release clause, and when the two players’ stats are compared, it’s difficult to argue that Cunha is twice as good.
Clearly, Cunha has the lead in the creative numbers, creating nearly a chance more per game than Alberto and completing two more successful dribbles per 90.
Alberto, nevertheless, wins the comparison in terms of pure attacking ability, having more shots on target and finding himself with the ball in the opponent box more each match.
This is not to imply that Cunha would not be a success at the City Ground, but Alberto’s somewhat lower price may offer him an advantage as an alternative to Wood.
