In November, Gary O'Neil declared that there was “no limit” to Matheus Cunha's potential. Apparently, not even heaven.
O'Neil, who has since been sacked by Wolves, also said his star would stay at Molineux “as long as possible”. That schedule can now be measured in days.
Cunha had just scored two goals in the 4-1 win over Fulham. It was one of his best days in a Wolves shirt, along with his hat-trick against Chelsea last season and his match-winning performance against Southampton two weeks earlier.
It's the jewel in the swamp of the Premier League relegation battle, the supercar in the second-hand bike shop. Could any team in the bottom five hope to have a better player this season? No. Only a few players in the bottom half deserve a comparison in their current form.
It is not surprising, then, to see potential buyers lining up. Mail Sport revealed on Tuesday that Nottingham Forest have made Cunha their top target. That would go down well in the Midlands, wouldn't it? Ask Morgan Gibbs-White.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham are also linked with him. Meanwhile, Wolves are struggling to secure him a new deal and keep him out of the clutches of the elite. His recovery under Vitor Pereira could prove persuasive.
Matheus Cunha is the most wanted man in the Premier League, but Wolves are trying to keep him
Mail Sport revealed how Nottingham Forest have made Cunha their top target this month
Wolves are negotiating new terms with him, although manager Vitor Pereira criticized his attitude after Monday's defeat to Chelsea.
But keeping Cunha under control could be like trying to stop him when he has the ball: almost impossible. He is the most wanted man in the Premier League, and with good reason.
He already has 10 goals this season and four assists to boot. If he weren't playing for a team so frequently knocking the ball out of their net, those counts could easily be higher.
Cunha is an active player who always looks to light up the game. Don't tell me, take it from Opta's stats. At Wolves, he is the man with the most goals, the most assists, the most dribbles completed (39), the most opportunities created in open play (27), the most touches in the opponent's area (90) and the most times won. the ball in the final third (16).
For most of those metrics, he ranks at the highest levels against his peers at his position league-wide.
The most important thing is that only seven men have scored more than him. He is at the level of Ollie Watkins and Justin Kluivert, both stars competing for European football.
It wasn't always like this. Wolves almost had reason to regret making Cunha their record signing in 2022-23.
Initially they brought him on loan from Atlético de Madrid, but with the obligation to buy him for 43 million pounds. In that first half of the season, in 20 games, he scored a total of two goals. Not the dictionary definition of value for money.
How he has paid them since then. His 14 goals last season were the best by any Wolves star since Raúl Jiménez's 27 in 2019-20. It seems far-fetched now, but at one point last season it looked like it would take them into the top half.
Pereira suggested Cunha's body language and application were not up to par against Chelsea
Gary O'Neil declared there is “no limit” to Cunha's potential after scoring twice against Fulham
The good thing for Wolves is that they don't have to sell him, unless he takes inspiration from Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez and refuses to play. In any case, the only game he can turn down before the deadline is against suitors Arsenal, and that wouldn't make much of an impression.
Cunha's contract runs until 2027, giving the Molineux team a strong hand at the negotiating table.
But there are some frustrations surrounding the 25-year-old, with some questioning his attitude in recent days. One of them was the man who writes his name on the team sheet every week.
After their 3-1 loss to Chelsea on Monday, Pereira criticized: “I had this conversation in the locker room. You can feel frustrated because you want to win, but everyone in the team wants to win.
'I don't like this body language. I want someone as captain who tries to help the team: running, suffering, fighting together. This is something I can understand. Next time I won't understand.
Liam Keen, Wolves correspondent for Wolverhampton-based news outlet Express & Star, claimed Cunha walked down the tunnel immediately full-time without acknowledging the away support at Stamford Bridge.
Pereira added in his press conference that behavior like this “cannot happen again,” but Cunha defended himself in a furious statement on social media.
“Liar,” wrote the Brazilian. 'I went to applaud them, I congratulated the referees and the opposing players.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants to strengthen Nottingham Forest's momentum in the Champions League by bringing in Cunha
Then I went to the tunnel. Don't ever come and ask me to give you an interview again.
It would be an explosive note to leave the club that took him to the Premier League.
All transfers involve an element of risk. You are guaranteed 20 goals per season. In fact, a striker is never guaranteed to score goals. A club could sign Cunha and it could be the best thing that ever happened to them, or nothing like it.
It will be interesting to see how long Cunha can replicate his form and whether he can translate it to a top club.
According to Opta, his expected goals for this season are 4.6, less than half of the 10 he has scored.
Some would suggest that means its finish is phenomenal. Others would call it luck.
And going from being the star of the show to just another talented player on a team full of 20 talented stars isn't easy.
Perhaps Forest, where he would be immensely valued and still in an underdog team with Nuno Espirito Santo, would get more out of him than joining Arsenal, where a starting spot would be less guaranteed.