![Matheus Cunha completes his hat-trick - How Gary O’Neil’s homework transformed Matheus Cunha into realising his £44m price tag](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/02/08/TELEMMGLPICT000365236469_17074048624460_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqf31hxWNT7i64oktrHVICFv4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=680)
How Gary O’Neil’s homework transformed Matheus Cunha into realising his £44m price tag
Wolves seemed to have overpaid for the Brazil forward on last season's form but a change of manager has brought the best out of him
![Matheus Cunha completes his hat-trick - How Gary O’Neil’s homework transformed Matheus Cunha into realising his £44m price tag](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/02/08/TELEMMGLPICT000365236469_17074048624460_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqf31hxWNT7i64oktrHVICFv4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=680)
When Julen Lopetegui walked out on Wolves in August, following that dramatic summer exodus of players, there were inevitable fears over what the future might hold for Matheus Cunha.
Signed by Lopetegui for a club record £44 million, Cunha’s first half-season in the Premier League had been relatively underwhelming and he must have wondered what was happening.
As high-profile players in the squad departed, and then the manager, Wolves were being written off as relegation certainties.
Yet the Brazilian forward was one of the few big stars who stayed, and he has now emerged as a key player in this bright new era under Gary O’Neil.
Cunha has delivered 11 goals so far this season, the best return of a career that has taken him across Europe in the last seven years.
Last weekend he produced a stunning hat-trick in the demolition of Chelsea, the team he used to watch as a boy growing up in the port city of Joao Pessoa.
![Matheus Cunha - How Gary O’Neil’s homework transformed Matheus Cunha into realising his £44m price tag](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/02/08/TELEMMGLPICT000365220780_17074043954270_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqyS_Wmgk-e-tlgRdE61VjKw4lNCLUbebITKdeWEzd180.jpeg?imwidth=350)
O’Neil has a forward three in Cunha, Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan that can be devastating.
Cunha’s own transformation can be traced back to the first international break, and some homework from O’Neil.
Renowned for a high level of detail, O’Neil compiled a series of clips from Cunha’s performances at former clubs FC Sion, Hertha Berlin and Atlético Madrid.
When Cunha returned from international duty, O’Neil went through the video with him and pointed out the areas of the pitch where he was the most dangerous.
Cunha is an inside forward who is capable of playing across the front three, but it is on the left where is flourishing. That position enables him to roam and have more freedom, contributing six assists.
It also allows him to help the team defend [this season he has produced 24 tackles and 15 clearances].
He has a natural ability to carry the ball up the pitch, while he is more athletic and quicker than observers think.
This was demonstrated in an electric burst which took him past Arsenal’s William Saliba in the 2-1 defeat at the Emirates in December.
Cunha does not see himself as a natural No 9. There is a board in one of the offices at Compton with a team shape, and Cunha regularly moves himself from the middle to the left as a joke.
That explains why Wolves pursued a natural centre-forward in the January transfer window.
Chelsea’s Armando Broja was a target before his loan move to Fulham, but Wolves’ financial situation and determination to remain prudent rendered it impossible.
![Matheus Cunha - How Gary O’Neil’s homework transformed Matheus Cunha into realising his £44m price tag](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/02/08/TELEMMGLPICT000265121372_17074046513050_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq6GsIbqkfGgLbZAsoNaCr2_ipp6I7Wmq8QJJkq5qiFBM.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Wolves agreed a loan deal with Corinthians for striker Yuri Alberto, but pulled out when the agent demanded an extra $1 million (£790,000) in fees. A few years ago Wolves would probably have still sanctioned the transfer, but not now.
Cunha’s excellent form, and Neto’s recent return from a hamstring injury, made it less important to sign that elusive No 9. The club’s recruitment team will revisit the situation in the summer.
Wolves face Brentford at home this weekend and Cunha, 24, will aim to continue improving.
Many Wolves fans have suspected that there was more to come from him, and the coaching staff always felt the same. He is far more than just a support striker.
An Olympic gold medal winner with Brazil in 2021, his reputation across Europe remains high.
There was an option to join another club during the summer, as many of his team-mates were sold, but Wolves closed it down quickly.
Lopetegui’s exit could have damaged Wolves, but it has actually galvanised the players and built a stronger team spirit.
Remember, this is a team that Lopetegui feared were not good enough but are now in contention for a finish in the top-eight.
Cunha has a close relationship with O’Neil, and is fully in tune with his philosophy. A positive character around the training ground, he is always keen to understand what is required on an individual or team level.
He called last weekend’s game at Chelsea “one of the best days of my life”, but there could be many more ahead.