Matheus Cunha makes interesting revelation as Nottingham Forest plot summer move

Add as preferred source on Google

In a markedly quiet January transfer window, Nottingham Forest’s rumoured pursuit of Matheus Cunha was a potential blockbuster deal.

Forest’s interest in Cunha came amidst a clear interest in adding attacking firepower in January to take the pressure off Chris Wood, with Evangelos Marinakis wanting a striker as a January priority.

The Brazilian also had interest from Arsenal but Forest were willing to break their transfer record for Cunha as Marinakis made his intentions clear. No deal was ever completed, though, leaving the rumours to simmer ahead of potentially resurfacing in the summer.

Cunha will be available for £62.5m in the summer should Forest want to reignite their interest in a show of financial muscle from Marinakis. Even then, though, Wolves remain in a Premier League relegation battle which could force the hand of Cunha’s parent club.

However, a move to any club relies on Cunha actually wanting to leave the Midlands club which isn’t guaranteed based on his latest comments.

Matheus Cunha never wanted to leave Wolves in January

In the aftermath of the transfer window, it was revealed that Forest were never close to signing a striker which cooled any further links with Cunha.

Cunha signed a new deal at Wolves as the window concluded and based on his latest interview with Match of the Day, he never intended to move in January.

The Wolves man said: “I never think about leaving [Wolves], honestly. I know I have a lot of things to do already and I always said that this was the club that gave me the chance to come back.

“They opened the door for me and I always felt I wanted to give back everything so to leave in this type of situation is hard. I’m so happy to be here. I hope to continue doing good things.”

Given that Forest will target a striker in the summer, this may come as a blow as Marinakis made Cunha his priority in January.

However, there are plenty of striking options that Forest have been linked with, including a fellow Brazilian who could present better value for the Reds.

Yuri Alberto could be a smarter signing than Matheus Cunha

Reports have suggested that Forest have been in contact with Yuri Alberto’s agent ahead of a potential summer move for the Brazilian, in a move that would cost upwards of £25m.

This is over half as cheap as Cunha’s £62.5m release clause and when comparing the pair’s stats, it’s hard to argue that Cunha is twice the player.

Clearly, Cunha has the edge in the creative stats, creating nearly a chance more per game than Alberto and completing two more successful dribbles per 90.

Alberto, though, edges the comparison in terms of pure striking ability, having more shots on target and finding himself with the ball in the opposition box more per match.

This is not to say that Cunha wouldn’t be a success at the City Ground, but Alberto’s much lower valuation potentially gives him the edge as an alternative to Wood.