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12 goals. 4 assists. 24 games.
While these statistics would constitute a reasonable season for any forward, they are not the standout returns from a player The Peoples Person has identified as the ‘most important target’ to fix Manchester United’s ailing attack this summer.
However, Matheus Cunha has produced these contributions while playing for one of the Premier League’s worst sides – Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently languished in 17th in the table and two points away from relegation.
When framed within this context, the Wolves star is certainly up there with the division’s best forwards.
And his versatile skillset makes the 25-year-old Brazilian international a perfect fit in Ruben Amorim’s system. There’s also a cynical view which posits if Cunha can still play brilliantly in a poor side at Molineux, he’ll have no issues performing within the exact same dysfunction at Old Trafford.
Let’s dive in.
Proportions vs Totals
Cunha ranks joint 7th alongside Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins for the league’s top scorers with 12 goals (and three assists).
Mohammed Salah leads the way with an imperious 24 goals (combined with an outrageous 15 assists) and exists in a league of his own this year. The Egyptian winger will be the primary reason why Liverpool win their second Premier League title come the end of the season.
But the six players underneath Salah and above Cunha – Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Alexander Isak (Newcastle), Cole Palmer (Chelsea) Bryan Mbeuemo (Brentford) and Watkins – all stack up comparably to the Wolves forward when we analyse their contributions as percentages of their team’s overall goals.
As an example, Haaland counts 19 goals and 3 assists for Pep Guardiola’s team this campaign. City, in total, have scored 52 times. This means the Norwegian striker accounts for 42.3% of the Citizens’ goals this year.
Forest forward Wood equates to 48.9% of his team’s total – an impressive record and the New Zealander would be high on every club’s list this summer if he did not turn 34 in December.
Isak, widely seen as the best number nine in the league this year over Haaland, has contributed to 52.4% of Newcastle’s goals, trumping his City rival. The Swede’s impressive season will see him targeted by Europe’s elite this summer for eye-watering sums, ruling out a move to Old Trafford due to United’s current situation on and off the pitch.
Palmer has produced 42.6% of Chelsea’s attacking returns, though if the London club had a more prolific number nine than Nicholas Jackson then this figure would be higher.
Mbuemo – also linked with the Red Devils given an impressive season for a ‘smaller’ club in a similar manner to Cunha – accounts for 39.5% of Brentford’s goals.
And Watkins clocks in with a direct hand in 45.9% of Villa’s.
Cunha’s combination of 12 strikes and 4 assists = for a side far lower down the league table than any of his competitors who have scored fewer total goals – amounts to 45.7% of Wolves’ total, ranking him on par with Watkins and higher than Haaland, Palmer, and Mbuemo.
It is not fair to compare Haaland’s 19 goals to Cunha’s 12 and reach the conclusion they are worlds apart, without accounting for the fact their respective teams are world’s apart.
The fact that the Brazilian has produced a more crucial rate of contribution than his Norwegian counterpart suggests Cunha may score and assist even more than Haaland if he played up front for City, rather than Wolves. And it’s this template for improvement in a better side which United must gamble on when deciding who to sign this summer to buttress Amorim’s forward line.
By contrast, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have scored just five league goals for the Reds this season, producing a combined rate of contribution of 17.9% to the club’s dismal attack.
The Hunt for a New Forward
These unacceptable returns for United’s forwards, set against a backdrop of Marcus Rashford and Antony both leaving Old Trafford on loan with the club open to their permanent departures, means Amorim is in desperate need of a reliable goal-scorer this summer.
The Portuguese coach has been linked with a reunion with Viktor Gyokeres, but the striker turns 27 in June and there are doubts over the Swede’s ability to translate his imperious form for Sporting elsewhere. A report relayed by The Peoples Person reveals a move for Gyokeres is considered “unlikely” due to these concerns.
A sensational move for Victor Osimhen has gained traction in recent weeks with the Napoli striker, currently on loan at Galatasaray, believed to have a release clause in the region of £65 million which activates this summer.
The Italian club want to cash in on Osimhen, whose relationship with manager Antonio Conte is beyond repair, and the 26-year-old wants to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are reported to be in the running for the Nigerian international, along with United.
£65 million would constitute a considerable outlay given the precarious financial situation at Old Trafford but an affordable one, particularly given Osimhen’s track-record of goals across Europe. The forward’s potent pairing of pace and physicality, and a tireless work rate with relentless pressing, makes him an ideal profile for Amorim’s system, which relies upon the striker to offer a constant outlet in behind the defence.
However, Osimhen’s desire to join a Champions League club and his exorbitant wage demands could prove insurmountable hurdles for United to match in negotiations, especially when their competitors can easily provide both.
There are very few other number nines who will be available on the market this summer after Gyokeres and Osimhen who offer a similar goal-scoring prowess. Benjamin Sesko is a long-term target at Old Trafford, but Arsenal are likely to win any race for the Slovakian starlet, while Lille striker Jonathan David looks set to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
This is why United must prioritise a move for Cunha – a versatile forward as comfortable leading the line as he is dropping into midfield – before any of Europe’s other giants come knocking on the door at Molineux, due to a scarcity of reliable attackers.
A No.9 and a No.10
Wolves’ most-used system this season, whether it was Gary O’Neil (who was dismissed in December) or replacement Vítor Pereira in charge, has been a 3-4-2-1 formation – the exact same Amorim has been struggling to implement at Old Trafford since arriving in November.
Cunha is best deployed as the LAM in this set-up – a position Amorim has filled with Alejandro Garnacho, though the Argentine winger remains an awkward fit in a number ten role, rather than out wide.
The Wolves forward would provide an immediate boost to United’s front line in this spot. But he has also played up front for the Midlands side, as well as previously in his career at Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig.
Cunha would offer a significant improvement on Hojlund or Zirkzee in the centre-forward position for Amorim, even if the Brazilian is not the exact type of striker the United head coach traditionally employs.
And this versatility is a source of strength for the 25-year-old, rather than the hindrance it has been for Zirkzee who Amorim does not believe is a number nine, yet lacks the pace and dribbling ability to thrive as a number ten in his system.
Cunha, by contrast, is an excellent ball-carrier, ranking in the 95th percentile for progressive carries and 98th for successful take-ons, among other forwards. He also clocks in the 98th percentile for progressive passes.
However, the Brazilian is also a relentless presser, demonstrating a fantastic work-rate and the type of selfless attitude a relegation side desperately needs; and one Amorim has demanded from his players at Old Trafford. The 25-year-old ranks in the 86th percentile for blocks, 97th for tackles and 99th for interceptions compared to other forwards across Europe.
Cunha signed a new contract at Molineux in February but this deal includes a release clause worth £62 million.
This figure would put him in a similar bracket to Osimhen – meaning United could afford it – but the Brazilian’s wage demands and Champions League focus are not believed to be as much of a hindrance as the Napoli striker.
Conclusion
Our analysis leaves us with a player who has thrived in the same system currently being implemented at United; a player with the exact profile and attributes Amorim wants in his squad; a player who is Premier League proven and scoring at a comparable rate to the leading strikers in the division; a player who will see Old Trafford as a significant jump, rather than a sideways move; and one who will be available this summer at a price and salaray the Red Devils can afford, irrespective of his club’s wishes to keep him.
In short, the ideal target, given the plethora of competing demands United will face this summer.
INEOS must move quickly and decisively to agree a deal for Cunha as there are a host of clubs across Europe, including rivals Arsenal, registering an interest in the Wolves star.
The prospect of adding a number nine like Osimhen, alongside an attacker like Cunha, would provide a transformational effect on United’s forward line and may, theoretically, be within the club’s budget with sales.
But only one part of this equation is guaranteed to be available to the Mancunian side this summer and they cannot afford to miss securing him. Sign Cunha, before someone else does.
Featured Image Naomi Baker via Getty Images
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