Mikel Arteta drops hint over whether Arsenal will challenge Nottingham Forest for Matheus Cunha

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Nottingham Forest are pursuing a deal for Matheus Cunha from Wolves in January, but face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Forest lost 3-0 to Arsenal in November in what was one of the few losses Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have suffered this season, with both sides now locked together in the Premier League table.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	21	15	5	1	50	20	30	50
2	ArsenalArsenal	22	12	8	2	43	21	22	44
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	22	13	5	4	33	22	11	44
4	ChelseaChelsea	22	11	7	4	44	27	17	40

The league is not the only battleground that Forest and Arsenal are competing on, though as Cunha is a target for both teams. Forest were linked with Cunha on Wednesday but Mikel Arteta’s side are equally desperate to add attacking reinforcements in January.

Forest are willing to spend a club-record fee on Cunha to entice him to the City Ground instead of a move to London. However, Cunha reportedly prefers a move to Arsenal given their current status of already being in the Champions League.

Given that the North London side look to be ahead in the Cunha chase, Arteta was quizzed on his interest in Forest’s number one target ahead of facing up against him on Saturday.

Arsenal are ‘actively looking’ for a striker amid Matheus Cunha battle

With Arsenal playing Wolves on Saturday, Arteta would’ve been expecting questions regarding Cunha which is exactly what he was presented with in his pre-match press conference.

Speaking on the situation, Arteta said: “My opinion is clear. We lost two very, very important players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus so we lack goals, we lack options in the front line, it’s clear.

“If we can get the right player, that is what we are actively looking for, […] we have to do what is right for the club.”

Realistically, Forest are in a very similar position to Arsenal in that the Forest squad isn’t blessed with attacking options, as shown by how clear Chris Wood is at the top of the club’s scoring charts.

Wood became Forest’s leading Premier League scorer thanks to his 14 league goals this season but with Morgan Gibbs-White the next closest on four goals for the campaign, Cunha would be an extremely valuable addition for Espirito Santo.

Clearly, though, Arsenal have the advantage in the Cunha pursuit, especially when considering the history between the two parties.

Arsenal are long-term admirers of Forest target Matheus Cunha

Before Cunha joined Wolves in 2023, he had been a target for a number of Premier League sides, including Arsenal.

The Daily Mail reported that Arsenal were keen on signing Cunha as a temporary replacement for the then-injured Jesus, an almost identical position to the one they find themselves in now.

Forest do have a level of rapport with the Brazilian as Morgan Gibbs-White is a friend of Cunha’s, but Arsenal’s historical interest in Cunha may give them the edge as there will be existing relationships between the club and the player’s representatives.

Wolves have slapped a £60m price tag on Cunha which looks to be achievable for both clubs, so it remains to be seen whether Arsenal’s previous history with the forward will be the factor that sees Evangelos Marinakis’ primary target slip away.