Exciting Cunha replacement: Wolves want to sign £45m star on loan

Wolves are perhaps the most in-form team in the Premier League currently, winning all of their last five games, scoring ten goals and only conceding four times.

It’s safe to say that Vitor Pereira has done a brilliant job since arriving back in December, guiding Wolves from 19th place to 15th.

With five games to go, Pereria’s side could even finish 13th ahead of both Manchester United and Everton, who currently sit level on points with Wolves (38).

What makes Wolves’ strong run of form even more impressive is the fact their star man, Matheus Cunha, was missing for three of their last five victories, only returning from the bench against Tottenham before starting against Manchester United.

Wolves target Matheus Cunha replacement

Cunha is being linked with a move away this summer, with Man United reportedly closing in on signing the player.

This would leave Wolves looking for a replacement for their star, and some names are already starting to pop up ahead of the transfer season.

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According to reports from TBR Football, Wolves are interested in Chelsea forward João Félix on loan. He is also attracting interest from West Ham, with the 25-year-old having spent the last few months enduring a temporary stint at AC Milan after only playing a bit-part role under Enzo Maresca for the Blues.

Chelsea only signed Felix in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, with the Portugal international joining the club for around £45m. AC Milan then paid a £5m loan fee for Felix, allowing the Blues to recoup a small sum of their money.

The playmaker has made a total of 35 appearances this season for Chelsea and AC Milan combined, scoring eight goals and providing three assists.

Next season, Felix could be tasked with filling the boots of Cunha at Wolves, so how would that work?

Felix vs Cunha comparison

Cunha has made 31 appearances so far this season, scoring 16 goals, providing four assists and totalling 2,486 minutes played. The Brazilian often plays off the left, but has plenty of license to roam, picking up the ball in deeper areas to dictate play and direct Wolves’ attacks.

Coincidentally, via FBref, Cunha and Felix are considered “similar” players via the comparison tool, which makes their underlying metrics even more interesting.

Felix takes a higher volume of shots, resulting in a higher xG generated per game, whilst also making more progressive passes. That being said, he’s struggled for regular goals and assists since lighting things up at Benfica as a youngster.

Scout Jacek Kulig even described the Portuguese talent as “pure gold” after Atlético Madrid spent a large fee to bring him to the club. So, if he can find that level of form again, he’d be a tremendous asset at Molineux.

Cunha, on the other hand, has taken his game to new levels this term, notably ranking better in carrying metrics, has a higher output and averages more shot-creating actions per game.

Despite the difference in quality at the moment, they evidently boast similar traits and Felix could actually thrive from taking Cunha’s role at Wolves.

He’d be becoming the main man for the team, having the license to roam and possessing the keys in Pereira’s attack, which could then finally see the Portugal forward show his talent on the pitch, resulting in much better output and numbers.

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