Adrian Clarke thinks Gary O’Neil has a ‘mesmeric’ talent in his squad who makes Wolves look better when he plays.
Gary O’Neil arrived at Wolves with a minimum expectation of keeping them in the top flight and he smashed that out of the park by guiding the Old Gold to a 14th-place finish.
Despite suffering from a multitude of injury troubles and working with a depleted squad, it was a season of progress for the Wanderers, who will be looking to build on that in the transfer window.
O’Neil will expect backing from Fosun to mould the squad how he likes and having transformed the fortunes of several players, he deserves to be given the funds to do so.
The Englishman turned a side lacking in confidence into one that produced some thrilling football, securing victories over Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Forward Matheus Cunha played his part in the latter result, scoring a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge while serving up a campaign to remember.
Adrian Clarke says Wolves look ‘better’ when Matheus Cunha is playing
Cunha was regarded as a flop before O’Neil arrived at Molineux last August.
The 25-year-old was captured from Atletico Madrid for £44 million following his loan spell and scored just twice in his first 20 appearances under Julen Lopetegui.
Fast forward 12 months and Cunha has just smashed double figures for goals in the top flight, scoring 12 and assisting seven in 32 appearances.
Cunha’s impact on O’Neil’s squad has been devastating and when he’s not in the starting XI, his absence is sorely missed.
Former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke believes Wolves look like a better side when he plays, describing the 11-cap Brazil international as a “gifted talent”.
Naming him on the bench in his Premier League Team of the Season, Clarke wrote: “We saw lots of mesmeric dribbling from Brazilian star Cunha, who made Wolves a better side every time he featured. Scoring 12 goals, and making seven for his team-mates, he showed what a gifted talent he is.”
Matheus Cunha 23/24 statistics
The underlying numbers show that Cunha was one of the best strikers in the Premier League in 2023/24.
According to FBref, the forwards all-round game excelled, displaying exceptional link-up play, explosive ball-carrying and a killer eye for goal.
Cunha ranked in the top 4% against strikers across Europe for progressive carries, the top 3% for successful take-ons, the top 12% for progressive passes and the top 13% for assists.
O’Neil’s superstar wasn’t just dynamite in the final third as he was also capable of pressing from the front, placing in the top 15% for tackles and the top 9% for interceptions.
Following an exceptional year, perhaps he deserved a selection in Brazil’s squad for their Copa America campaign, just like teammate Joao Gomes.
However, he was left out and that will be a positive for Wolves as it minimises the risk of him getting injured before the 2024/25 season kicks off.