Matheus Cunha Next Club Odds: After Wolves

Everything that is out in the public domain right now puts Manchester United right at the head of the queue for Cunha’s signature.

Reports suggest the Red Devils are more than willing to meet the £62.5m release clause whilst also slapping a five-year deal on the table for the 25-year-old.

From a financial perspective, that is hugely likely to appeal to Cunha whilst he’s nailed on to be a key player for Ruben Amorim in his Old Trafford rebuild, given the current lack of attacking talent at the club.

Despite what is likely to be a compelling package, there are some doubts over why a player being chased by a host of clubs would opt for Man United in 2025.

Yes, they’re a massive club but they’re miles off competing at the summit of the Premier League whilst, longer term, there have been views expressed that, whilst Cunha is an improvement on the current squad, he isn’t enough of an upgrade to get United back to where they feel they belong.

The player will back himself to prove those doubters wrong on that latter point, but interest from other parties might turn his head on the former, particularly if United don’t manage to win the Europa League.

If Man United are a club stuck in a negative spiral, the complete opposite is true of Newcastle. The Magpies look set to secure Champions League football next season and have also just secured their first piece of major silverware in 70 years.

Combine that with their fanbase, ownership and quality of the job Eddie Howe is doing at St James’ Park, and there is every reason to think they can kick on to establish themselves as one of the big hitters in the Premier League.

Key to the club doing that, though, is the transfer dealings they conduct, both in terms of incomings and outgoings. On the outgoing front, it’s critical they keep Alexander Isak.

If they can show ambition on that front whilst adding talented players like Cunha to their squad, then their future could be very, very bright.

Cunha’s fellow Brazil teammates Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton could potentially have a role to play in convincing him to opt for the North East over the North West, too!

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Cunha in January but those rumours have quietened a little bit over recent weeks.

During the winter window, there was a lot of pressure on the Gunners to add attacking reinforcements to their squad and the fact they didn’t push the boat out to land Cunha then would suggest their interest is not as serious as rumours suggest.

The likelihood of them moving for the Wolves man in what is well known to be a better market during the summer is, in our opinion, slim.

It's also worth highlighting how keen Mikel Arteta has been to rid Arsenal of players who are perceived to be “bad characters”.

What Cunha is like behind closed doors is unknown to most, but he has had a couple of highly unsavoury moments in public this season that would likely sit as blackmarks against his name with Arteta and co.

Whilst it currently looks like a considerable longshot that Cunha remains a Wolves player for, at least, the first half of next season, it shouldn’t be ruled out in its entirety.

The club were in disarray during the first half of the season, but they have clicked into superb form under the guidance of Vitor Pereira.

If the campaign had started when Pereira was appointed, Wolves would be sat in a European qualification spot with only Liverpool and Newcastle the only sides to have won more games than them during that period.

Whilst that won’t be the deciding factor in Cunha’s mind, it’s surely something that will come into his thinking, particularly when you consider the favourites for his signature, Man United, have taken 15 fewer points over the same period.