Alious
Wolves welcomed West Ham to Molineux for a Premier League clash, and the match left supporters buzzing with a unified opinion about their sidelined forward, Matheus Cunha.
The Brazilian, who recently dropped hints about wanting to depart the club, watched from the stands as his teammates secured a gritty 1-0 win, courtesy of Jorgen Strand Larsen’s strike.
This victory came on the heels of a week where Cunha’s potential exit was overshadowed by the reassuring news of Yerson Mosquera and Joao Gomes committing their futures to Wolves with fresh contracts.
The game itself showcased Wolves at their best in the opening half, dominating the Hammers with flair but failing to extend their lead. After the break, they switched gears, digging in defensively to protect their slender advantage and secure a second straight clean sheet.
Remarkably, this marked the second consecutive win for Vitor Pereira’s side without Cunha, who was serving a suspension. That detail wasn’t lost on the Wolves faithful, who flooded social media with their thoughts on the matter.
Fans seem convinced that the team might actually thrive without Cunha. Frustration had already been brewing after he hinted at leaving before the 2024/25 campaign wraps up, and his attempts to clarify that his words were misconstrued only fanned the flames.
As he sat in the stands—spotted scrolling through his phone during the match—some supporters didn’t hold back. “Leave Cunha on the bench for the rest of the season,” one demanded.
Another chimed in, “Buzzing with that, give Cunha splinters sat on that bench until the end of the season now.” Others were more direct: “Look so much better without Cunha,” one wrote, while another insisted, “We work so much better as a team without Cunha. Fact.”
The sentiment even stretched to bold claims about squad priorities. “To me keeping Andre & Gomes is more important than keeping Cunha. Build the team around them pair,” one fan argued. Another took it a step further, suggesting, “Joao Gomes is literally the Cunha replacement im not even sorry his ball carrying is on par if not better than Cunha.”
There’s no denying Cunha’s talent—he’s a standout player with the kind of flair that’s rare in this Wolves squad. The 25-year-old ex-Atletico Madrid man has the raw ability to reach world-class heights, but his individualistic streak has long been a sticking point.
Both former boss Gary O’Neil and current manager Pereira have called out his work rate off the ball, hinting that his attitude needs tweaking if he’s to hit the elite level he’s capable of.
Yet, right now, Wolves appear to be finding their groove without him. The reliance on Cunha’s moments of magic has faded, and players like Strand Larsen and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde are rising to the occasion.
The team’s cohesion and resilience shone through against West Ham, suggesting that life without their mercurial forward might not be the disaster some feared—and could even be a blessing in disguise.
Alious
