It’s fair to say Wolverhampton Wanderers games this season in the Premier League haven’t exactly been short of talking points, with a hefty 54 strikes tallied up in terms of goals scored and goals conceded across their 13-game stretch.
To add more context, the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace only have 31 and 29 in contrast, but both those sides certainly have meaner defences, as Gary O’Neil’s men have leaked a worrying 32 strikes when examining their bumper total.
O’Neil will know that the likes of Matheus Cunha will need to continue to put in top-drawer displays in attack for his side to stand a fighting chance at survival, away from obviously shoring up at the back more effectively.
Matheus Cunha's performances this season
Alongside Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has a healthy goal return of six in Premier League action, Cunha has also been a reliable source of entertainment for supporters at Molineux with the Brazilian managing seven of his own goals alongside three assists.
Cunha was a man-possessed away at Craven Cottage before a sobering 4-2 defeat to AFC Bournemouth jolted his team back to reality, with two goals and one assist coming his way from an exceptional 89 minutes versus Marco Silva’s Fulham in a comprehensive 4-1 win.
The South American ace did have a quiet game by his standards in that aforementioned defeat to the Cherries, with possession squandered a costly 21 times not helping his side’s cause, but there’s no doubt in his mind that he can bounce back when O’Neil’s team travel to Everton on Wednesday evening.
The Premier League strugglers will just hope they don’t over-rely on the 25-year-old’s magic, especially if he falls foul of a prolonged drop in form down the line, with one former Wolves ace arguably more tricky and influential for his current employers than Cunha is right now back in England.
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Of course, the electric Old Gold number ten is currently basking in his superb form, and rightly so, but it’s not always been plain sailing for the 6-foot ace at Molineux.
Cunha only managed to fire home two strikes from 17 Premier League games during his debut season at the club, before developing into the stunning performer he is today for the West Midlands outfit.
Sadly, the same patience wasn’t shown to Pedro Goncalves when he was on the books at Molineux.
Now, the Portuguese attacker has become a “superstar” at Sporting CP according to journalist Jack Collins, despite making just one meagre senior appearance for his ex-employers.
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The Old Gold were somewhat powerless to Goncalves returning back to his native country in 2019, with a move away credited to the winger wanting more senior game time, but Wolves will wish they had put up more of a lasting fight when you consider his numbers for Sporting this campaign alone.
24/25
12
5
6
23/24
49
18
17
22/23
51
20
15
21/22
41
15
14
20/21
37
23
5
This campaign, the scintillating winger has managed to better Cunha’s numbers by one, with Goncalves picking up one of those assists in the Champions League when Sporting toppled Manchester City 4-1 under the expertise of former manager Ruben Amorim.
In total, the 5 foot 8 star has a ridiculous 81 goals and 57 assists next to his name since joining the Lisbon-based giants, with Wolves left to ponder what could have been if Goncalves had decided to stay put.
He could have filled the void perfectly when Pedro Neto departed this summer, but O’Neil will be content that he has Cunha to call upon as a similar style maverick in attack, even if Goncalves has surpassed the Brazilian this campaign when fit.
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