It hasn’t been an easy adjustment for Jhon Arias, arriving at Wolves with big boots to fill.
As a new signing, you want to come into a settled side, but Jhon Arias was afforded no such luxury at Wolves.
Whether due to timing or some other factor, the Colombian got the label of Matheus Cunha replacement, and so far, it looks like he hasn’t met those expectations.
But when you compare Arias’ start at Wolves to his Brazilian predecessor, the two are more similar than you might’ve expected.
Jhon Arias’ goalless start reminiscent of Cunha’s early days
Yes. Yes. The ‘007’ joke. It’s possibly one of the worst parts of football discourse that has been inescapable in recent seasons.
But the overarching point of this article is that it doesn’t really matter.
Cunha’s Wolves career did not start as hoped. After arriving on loan in the middle of the 2022/23 season, he would not get a goal or an assist in his first seven league games. In fact, it would take him nine tries to open his account, and he would finish on just two goals for the campaign.
Based on that, you would think the £44 million fee Wolves were obliged to pay that summer was daylight robbery, but Cunha persisted, and became Wolves’ undisputed best player over the next two seasons.
Arias has yet to register a goal or an assist this season either, but Cunha’s story is a cautionary tale for fans to not jump the gun. The Colombian is looking better with each outing.
He also has one more chance to avoid the vaguely irritating label in Sunday’s Brighton clash, where we have predicted an Arias goal.
Why ‘007’ is absolute nonsense
The trend of tracking new signings’ games, itching to stick them with the ‘007’ label, is one of the more toxic aspects of football discourse online, and it means very little, as The Athletic reveal.
Florian Wirtz is the latest to be ridiculed for this reason, ignoring the fact that he has created more chances than anyone in the league this season.
Cunha isn’t the only Wolves hero to reach the unwanted milestone, either. The late Diogo Jota was the same at the start of his Premier League career.
Many would consider Thierry Henry the best Premier League player of all time, and wouldn’t you know, he was a 007 agent as well.
All that to say, no need to worry about Arias. He is growing in stature with each game, and it won’t be long before he starts contributing goals to the side.